An Eva Air plane traveling from Taipei to Chicago was hit by massive turbulence leaving 11 people injured. The incident took place Wednesday and photos of chaotic scenes inside the jet went viral Saturday.

Passengers on board the Boeing 777 witnessed chaos after the turbulence occurred an hour into the 13-hour flight. Pictures were shared by Chinese-language media and later circulated online.

Eva Air flight BR56 was carrying 178 passengers including four babies, and 21 crew members. Eight crew members were among the injured.

The plane departed Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Nov. 22. The plane was flying over Japan when the turbulence occurred. Injured passengers and crew members were taken to the hospital after the plane landed safely at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

A representative of the Taiwanese airline reportedly said there were qualified doctors on board, who helped treat the injured people.

Pictures posted online showed passengers' belongings and food in the galley thrown to the ground, flight attendants crouching on the floor, clinging onto doors just to stay upright.

The Taiwanese airline company said they had issued each passenger $300 "consolation money" for the inconvenience caused by the event.

One of the worst things that could happen during a flight is turbulence. While it is normal for most flights, below are some facts about turbulence.

  • There are many different reasons turbulence happens, but the most common is CAT, which stands for Clear Air Turbulence. Jet streams in the air that essentially control the flow of travel like water in a riverbank when ends or interacts with air that’s moving slower, it can cause turbulence.
  • Turbulence can sometimes be avoided if CAT is noticed by the pilot.
  • Weather condition such as thunderstorms can cause turbulence. "While some turbulence can't be detected on radar, this was not that kind," Brandon Miller, a producer with CNN's World Weather team said. "This turbulence was caused by the rapid rising of air inside the thunderstorms."
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