A Southwest Airlines plane carrying 147 passengers to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, sustained engine trouble after hitting birds, forcing it to return to Havana for an emergency landing Sunday, according to NBC News.
Officials said Southwest Airlines Flight 3923 "experienced bird strikes to an engine and the aircraft's nose shortly after takeoff," resulting in smoke filling the cabin.
According to Cuban Aviation Corporation S.A., Cuba's civil aviation authority, pilots became aware of the Boeing 737 engine issues after the collision with the birds.
A cellphone video filmed in the cabin made its way through social media, showing passengers panicking as the smoke began to fill up.
Marco Antonio told NBC's "Early Today" show: "Nobody could breathe. It was burning so much in the lungs. People were just screaming. Kids were screaming."
Passenger Steven Rodriguez told NBC News 6 that the collision was "Like a big boom. Like an explosion."
According to passengers, the oxygen masks did not immediately deploy.
"People started taking matters into their own hands and by force were punching the roof to eject the masks," said Rodriguez. "And people had bloody knuckles."
The National Library of Medicine states that it's dangerous for the oxygen masks to be released when there is a fire, as it fuels oxygen concentration.
"To be honest, I thought it was my time to go," said Rodriguez. "I was terrified."
Southwest confirmed the pilots successfully made the emergency landing at Marti Airport and evacuated the passengers using airplane slides. Passengers were taken to the terminal for another flight bound for Fort Lauderdale, reported NBC News.
CACSA announced the passengers were in good health; however, according to NBC News 6, one woman had incurred a head injury. Officials said there will be investigations.
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