At least eight passengers and two crew members suffered "minor injuries" due to "severe turbulence" during a Luanda-Lisbon flight on Thursday, the management of Angolan airline TAAG, which is investigating the incident, announced today.

TAAG, the Angolan airline, said in a statement that after the turbulence, the people with minor injuries were given first aid on board by cabin crew and then the emergency services on the ground at Humberto Delgado airport in Lisbon were called.

According to the airline, quoted by Lusa, after observation and assessment by the medical team, two passengers and a crew member were taken to hospital for further checks.

The remaining passengers "were able to disembark without assistance", TAAG said.

"Following the usual safety procedures, TAAG has prioritized assistance to the passengers and crew affected, and the aircraft will then be inspected by the competent authorities, and an investigation into the incident is also underway," the carrier said.

TAAG adds that the "severe turbulence" recorded on this flight occurred in open skies and is a type of turbulence "not detectable by instruments and in a geographical location sensibly close to the final destination (Portugal), and the captain took the decision indicated in the protocol to continue the journey, within the initial flight plan".

Adverse weather conditions "happen in aviation and in the company's history similar cases of severe turbulence have occurred in the past, and TAAG will continue to guarantee the operational safety of flights," the statement said.

Images circulating on social media show the aftermath of the turbulence that affected flight DT 652 Luanda-Lisbon, with bruised and bloodied passengers, especially in the head, and scraps of food and on-board material scattered around the aircraft.