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Shocking video shows why you should keep plane seatbelt on – even if sign’s off
A SHOCKING video has hammered home why passengers should always wear their seatbelt during a flight - even if the seatbelt sign is off.
15 passengers were injured when a SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to West Bengal experienced intense turbulence on Saturday evening.
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The flight hit turbulence as it began to make its descent with one passenger explaining how the seat belts "tore on impact".
Footage recorded by a passenger in the aftermath of the turbulence showed the cabin in disarray after cabin baggage had fallen from the overhead storage.
In the clip, light fixtures have fallen from the ceilings and seatback tables are thrown across the cabin floor.
One passenger told : "It felt like the flight was tilting this way and that. Some people toppled backwards off their seats."
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They added: "Luggage came falling out of the overhead bins and struck people on the head".
Out of the 11 passengers admitted to hospital, only one sustained major injuries with the rest all discharged after receiving treatment.
Vishal K Patel, who said he was a passenger on the flight, described the journey as "a nightmare".
Taking to Twitter, he put: "Luckily most of the people behaved well in crisis and were fortunate to survive".
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A flight attendant previously revealed how turbulence related injuries are the most likely cause of serious injury during a flight.
According to Amanda Pleva, a flight attendant with 14 years of experience and a column on , staying unbuckled can cause serious injuries when turbulence strikes.
She explained: "Most of the passengers who fear the plane potentially falling out of the sky tend to overlook a far more real scenario, and it’s so frustratingly avoidable – turbulence-related injuries...
"It’s really boring to hear, and even more boring for us to repeat several times a flight, but of all the rules we enforce on the plane, that’s the one to take the most seriously.
"We prepare for so many potential scenarios, but turbulence happens often and it doesn’t take much to cause injuries...
"I get it when people come bouncing down the aisles for the bathrooms when they just can’t wait anymore, although we don’t advise it.
"But it’s not uncommon to be going through fairly strong turbulence just to have a passenger or two struggle to the galley just to ask for a drink.
"There’s no excuse for behavior like this, and seatbelts are not so uncomfortable that you can’t keep one loosely on."
In fact, it is illegal to not wear a seat belt during a flight when the pilot has instructed passengers to do so.
Even when the flight seems smooth, the flight could encounter an air pocket with little warning.
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The chances of being in a plane crash are highly unlikely - one in 11 million, in fact.
But if the worst case scenario were to happen, then choosing your seat can make a huge difference.
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