New Delhi: Two passengers injured in the severe turbulence onboard Air India’s Phuket-Delhi flight are under treatment at Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, while two others are expected to be discharged Thursday as their condition has stabilised, the hospital has said.Doctors said two patients suffered injuries to their lower spine during the turbulence. One of them, a 22-year-old woman, has compression injuries to two vertebrae in her lower back. She is conscious, stable and has been advised to wear a spinal brace as part of her treatment.The other patient, a 28-year-old woman, suffered a stable fracture in her lower spine. She also complained of abdominal pain and difficulty in passing stools, prompting doctors to order an ultrasound of the abdomen and seek a surgical opinion. She has been advised to use a lumbosacral support belt.Among the other two passengers, expected to be discharged on Thursday, is a 27-year-old woman who suffered injuries to her neck and lower back and underwent CT scans and X-rays that did not reveal any major fractures. She is still in pain and has been advised to wear a cervical collar, apply ice packs and undergo a urology evaluation after blood was detected in her urine.A 33-year-old woman, who suffered a fracture in one of her neck bones, remains stable but complained of dizziness. Doctors have sought a neurological opinion and planned an MRI of the brain as a precaution. She too has been advised to wear a cervical collar and use ice packs.Air India flight AI 2379 from Phuket to Delhi faced severe clear-air turbulence Monday, causing the aircraft to suddenly lose about 300 feet in altitude. The violent jolt threw several passengers and cabin crew against the cabin ceiling and overhead bins before the pilots regained control and landed the aircraft safely in Delhi.Seventeen passengers and crew members were hospitalised. Several have been discharged.The directorate-general of civil aviation is investigating the matter.Some patients are at Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon. Officials said they are stable.
