Six injured in Boeing mid-air incident in Nigeria (VIDEO)

Four passengers and two crew members sustained serious injuries when a United Airlines flight en route from Lagos to Washington experienced a sudden mid-air movement and had to return to the Nigerian city late on Friday, the air carrier’s spokesperson told the media.

A short video, apparently taken by passengers of the Boeing 787-8 flight and circulating on social media, shows chaos on board with trays, food, and other objects scattered across the plane’s floor. Social media posts reveal food and beverages strewn about the cabin.

The plane experienced “a technical issue and an unexpected aircraft movement” during the flight, the spokesperson told USA Today, adding that aviation authorities in the US and Nigeria have begun investigating the cause of the incident. The spokesperson added that the passengers who were hospitalized after landing have since been discharged.

There were 245 passengers and 11 crew members on board, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria said in a statement, adding that 27 passengers and five crew members sustained minor injuries.

This latest occurrence is reminiscent of other recent issues experienced by Boeing aircraft flying over Russia. In September 2024, an Air India Boeing 787 flying from New Delhi to Birmingham in the UK was forced to land in Moscow due to technical problems. Two months prior, an Air India Boeing 777 heading from New Delhi to San Francisco made an emergency landing in the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk because of a possible fire on board.

In March, a 787 en route from the Australian city of Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand, reported “a technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement.” The accident left 50 people injured.