Delta Airlines aircraft.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
Twenty-five people aboard a Delta Air Lines flight were hospitalized on Wednesday evening after the plane, which was flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, experienced strong turbulence that forced it to make an emergency landing in Minnesota.
Flight DL56 was diverted to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport after experiencing "significant turbulence," Delta said in a statement. It was carrying 275 passengers and 13 crew members and was met by medical personnel upon landing, the airline said.
The Airbus A330-900 landed at about 7:45 pm. Central time, said Jeff Lea, a spokesperson for the airport, adding that people had been injured by the turbulence.
It had left Salt Lake City at about 5:30 pm. Central time, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware, landing just over two hours into its scheduled eight-hour journey.
The airport's fire department and paramedics provided medical attention to passengers after the flight landed, Lea said in an email.
Delta said that 25 people on the flight had been taken to local hospitals. The airline did not respond to questions about the nature of the turbulence or the condition of the hospitalized patients.