Six people were injured when a Boeing passenger aircraft suddenly dropped in mid-air shortly after departing from Nigeria on its way to Washington.

SIX people have been injured after Boeing jet suddenly plunged minutes after take off.

The United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing while on route to Washington DC.

Dramatic footage showed chaotic scenes throughout the aircraft – which had to be diverted back to Lagos, Nigeria.

Food, trays and personal items could be seen strewn across the floor.

The Boeing aircraft took off late on Thursday night with 245 passengers, eight flight attendants and three pilots on board.

But 93 minutes later, the plane abruptly dipped mid-air.

The pilot was forced to turn back to Lagos and make an emergency landing.

Four passengers and two crew members were taken to hospital with injuries.

United Airlines said the plane had suffered a technical issue and unexpected movement.

The cause of the jolt is still under investigation.

A representative from United Airlines stated that the flight arrived safely in Lagos with six individuals seeking medical attention for minor injuries, who have since been discharged from the hospital.

The patients were taken to Duchess Hospital in Ikeja after being stabilised.

United said a further 27 passengers and five crew members suffered minor injuries and were given first aid before being released “immediately.”

The airline added that it was trying to place the passengers on alternative flights.

Records from flight tracking indicated that the plane involved in the Lagos incident had experienced a similar diversion during the same route to Washington’s Dulles International Airport just three days prior.

That flight rapidly dropped 1,000ft approximately 89 minutes into the flight and was diverted to Accra, Ghana.

It is unknown if the two diversions are related.

Michael Achimugu, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), affirmed the occurrence of the event on a government-owned radio station, underlining the absence of any fatalities.

He said passengers had been accommodated in hotels, Radio Nigeria also reported.

Achimugu said: “The medical team were in direct communication with the pilot prior to the aircraft’s landing in Lagos,”adding that the team, as well as firefighters on the ground, were “present and prepared.”