Delta flight stranded on small island in Azores after engine problem: 'People were crying'

NEW YORK -- Passengers are speaking out after their flight was forced to make an emergency landing on a small remote island in the middle of the ocean earlier this week.

"People were crying. There were people praying. Nobody really knew what was happening," Marc Viscardi said.

"I messaged my family and told them that we had lost an engine," Ken Elder said.

Delta flight 127 from Madrid to New York took off a little after noon on Sunday, but about a third of the way over the Atlantic, some onboard said they heard a loud boom.

"The pilot got onto the intercom to tell us the flight had been diverted and we lost the left engine," Viscardi said.

According to the airline, an "indication of a mechanical issue in an engine" prompted the flight crew to divert the Airbus A330 to an Air Force base in the Azores. It is a remote chain of islands off the coast of Portugal.

"Seeing all the emergency vehicles lining the runway, it reminded us it was a potentially dangerous situation," Elder said.

Nearly 300 passengers immediately deplaned, stranded on the island for almost 30 hours while waiting for a new plane to pick them up.

The airline said in a statement, "the flight landed safely, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience and delay in their travels."

Passengers were provided with meals and hotels, though some decided to book their own accommodation.

Still, some travelers believe the airline abandoned them, feeling lost in paradise.

"In the absence of any information coming from Delta or anyone at the airline, we kind of took matters into our own hands," Viscardi said.