More than 200 aircraft passengers unexpectedly spent Christmas in Bermuda after severe turbulence resulted in several injuries and forced their flight to divert to the island.

Maleth Aero Flight 1975 set out from Barbados on December 23 for what was expected to be a seven-hour, 15-minute flight to Manchester.

However, the aircraft was caught in “clear-air” turbulence less than three hours into the journey, injuring several people.

Instead of arriving in Manchester on Sunday morning, the plane and its 225 passengers, who had been on a P&O Caribbean cruise, landed in Bermuda and remained on the island until about 5pm yesterday afternoon.

The Ministry of National Security confirmed that emergency services took 11 people from the diverted flight to hospital early on Sunday.

A statement from the ministry said: “At approximately 12.50am, Maleth Aero Flight 1975, an Airbus A300-200, en route from Barbados to Manchester experienced severe turbulence, necessitating an emergency landing at LF Wade International Airport.

“The aircraft executed a controlled landing on the island. The flight was transporting 225 passengers and 13 crew members.

“Emergency medical technicians from the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service greeted the aircraft to provide initial assessments of the passengers and pre-hospital care.

“The response included nine BFRS vehicles, two King Edward VII Memorial Hospital ambulances and 20 BFRS personnel.”

It added that although 11 passengers were taken to KEMH for evaluation, all of the injuries were minor and nine of the passengers were discharged.

Owen Darrell, the Acting Minister of National Security, said: “We are aware of the situation and are diligently working to ensure the wellbeing of all involved.

“We are extremely grateful for the quick response of all our emergency services personnel who ensured the safety of the passengers and crew.”

The ministry was working with relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances of the incident and provided support to passengers, crew and airline officials.

A spokesman for P&O Cruises toldThe Independent, a British media outlet: “A flight from Barbados to Manchester was diverted to Bermuda following freak [unexpected] turbulence.”

The spokesman added that passengers were subsequently moved into hotels until the flight could resume.

“We are very sorry for this disruption to their journey following their holiday and we are working with the airline and hotels to take care of them and ensure they get home as soon as possible,” the spokesman added.

• UPDATE: this article has been updated with additional information