An Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi on Tuesday (Aug 4) was cruising when it encountered severe turbulence and dropped about 300 feet within seconds.
A passenger, known only as Minchen, recorded a video describing it as the "worst two hours of my life".
She also recounted the scary experience on X, saying she saw passengers being tossed around, hitting their heads and getting injured.
"For a while, I genuinely thought we weren't going to make it. I hope everyone is okay."
The Airbus A320neo was carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, the airline said in a statement.
A total of 13 passengers and four cabin crew members suffered injuries and were taken to hospital for medical evaluation after the plane landed in New Delhi, reports said.
Another passenger, Viviana, described a sudden drop in altitude that caused the injuries, reported Indian broadcaster NDTV.
"I hit my head on the roof and then fell."
Viviana, whose mother was injured, told news agency ANI that the aircraft appeared to be flying normally before turbulence hit.
According to Viviana, she saw her sister being thrown into the air from her seat.
"My mother hit her head. My phone fell. People sitting behind me suffered injuries. A male passenger had blood on his face."
She added: "We thought we would die. It was really scary. I was shaking and crying. It was horrible. I cannot hear well right now.".
Another passenger shared her harrowing experience in a video posted on Instagram, which had been viewed almost a million times as at Thursday morning.
"Today reminded me that life can change in seconds. Grateful to be here," Preeti Arora wrote in her caption.
She also thanked "the pilots, crew, and everyone who stayed strong, saved our lives and handled the situation smartly".
It is unclear if she is one of the 13 injured passengers.
AsiaOne has reached out to her for more information.
In June 2025, more than 200 people were killed when an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed minutes after take-off from Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick.
The plane crashed into a medical college hostel in a residential area, marking the world's deadliest aviation disaster in a decade.
@asiaone The plane, an Airbus A320neo, was carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, Air India said in a statement. #news #plane #turbulence #india ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
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