A Delta Air Lines flight to Amsterdam was forced to land at Minneapolis, after being hit by severe turbulence that caused 25 people to hurt.
The plane with 25 injured on board landed. Photo: X.
A flight operated by the company Delta Air Lines, which was to reach Salt Lake City (Utah) in Amsterdam, was urgently deviated to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, after being affected by powerful turbulence. The incident, which occurred at cruise altitude, resulted in the injury of 25 people on board, according to an official statement sent by the airline, quoted by The Guardian.
Delta Air Lines said that medical teams have been waiting for the ground aircraft to assist passengers and crew members, and the 25 people who were injured during the flight were transported to hospitals for additional investigations and medical care.
“The medical staff welcomed the flight upon arrival to evaluate the customers and the crew. Twenty -five of those on board were transported to the local hospitals for evaluation and care. We are grateful for the support of all the emergency interventions,” transmitted the airline in a statement.
The plane, which had to cross the Atlantic with the final destination in the Capital of the Netherlands, landed at Minneapolis-Saint Paul as a precautionary measure following the phenomenon of “significant turbulence”, as described in the preliminary report.
The turbulence have become a constant challenge for the aviation industry, and the specialists warn that the climate change contributes to their intensification.
Paul Williams, a researcher in the atmosphere at the University of Reading, explained in an interview for the BBC that we could face an increase of two to three times the number of severe episodes globally in the following decades.
According to data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board, in the United States there have been 207 cases of serious injuries due to turbulence, starting with 2009 (an injury is classified as serious if it requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours).
The recent incident again emphasizes the need for passengers to comply with the crew indications and use the seat belt as long as possible during the flights, even when the signal for it is stopped.
