( CNN ) -- Severe turbulence shook a Continental Airlines flight Monday , injuring dozens of passengers and forcing the aircraft to divert to Miami , Florida , according to the airline and a fire official . Oxygen masks hang from a damaged part of the plane Monday , in a photo by passenger Camila Machado . There were 168 passengers and 11 crew members on Flight 128 , which was heading from Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , to Houston , Texas , according to a statement from Continental Airlines . `` I 've never seen turbulence like that , so I really thought we would n't make it , '' passenger Giovani Loss told CNN affiliate WSVN-TV . Loss , who is originally from Brazil , said he is a lawyer in the United States and frequently travels between the two countries . He said passengers were afraid the turbulence may have been the result of mechanical problems with the plane . `` People [ were ] screaming , then there was a huge silence for like 30 minutes , '' Loss said . Ambulances and other vehicles were lined up on the runway to treat and transport the injured passengers when the plane landed at Miami International Airport at 5:35 a.m. Watch passengers describe what happened » . `` People that were n't seat belted in flew up and hit the ceilings , '' passenger John Norwood told WSVN . `` So their faces , their heads hit the plastics and broke all the plastics up top . '' Continental said seven passengers were transported to nearby hospitals , and approximately 28 other passengers were treated at the scene . Lt. Elkin Sierra of the Miami-Dade Fire Department said 26 passengers were injured , including four seriously . The Boeing 767-200 hit turbulence about 50 miles north of the Dominican Republic at about 38,000 feet , according to an official with the Federal Aviation Administration . It landed in Miami an hour later with its seat belt signs illuminated , the airline said . Many of the passengers said they did not hear any warning before the turbulence hit . Injuries received included bumps , bruises , neck pain and back pain , Sierra said . Passengers said they saw several people bleeding from their heads , including one woman who sustained a serious gash to her head . The flight is scheduled to depart Miami for Houston later in the morning , according to Continental 's Web site . It had been scheduled to arrive in Houston at 6 a.m. local time .
Airliner hits turbulence , is forced to divert to Miami , Florida . At least 26 people hurt , four of them seriously . Jet had been en route from Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , to Houston , Texas .