BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Eight people were hospitalized at an Alabama hospital on Wednesday after an American Airlines flight headed from Florida to Tennessee was diverted to Birmingham after encountering unexpected turbulence, authorities said.
The flight, which took off from Tampa International Airport and was bound for Nashville, had 52 passengers, two pilots and two flight attendants on board, WBRC-TV and WFLA-TV reported. The flight was diverted to Birmingham Shuttlesworth Airport after it hit severe turbulence over the Pensacola area, according to the television station.
Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service responded at 3:15 p.m. CDT at the Birmingham airport, fire Capt. Orlando Reynolds told reporters.
A total of 56 passengers were on the plane, 10 passengers were evaluated and seven were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, according to BFRS. https://t.co/0fBE4DQv9G
— WBRC FOX6 News (@WBRCnews) July 20, 2022
American Airlines confirmed two flight attendants and six passengers were taken to an area hospital for further evaluation, WFLA reported.
“There were, at the time, as many as 10 people who thought they might have some kind of injury,” Kim Hunt, a spokesperson for the Birmingham Airport Authority, told The Tennessean.
Airline officials did not elaborate on the conditions of the injured persons, according to The Associated Press.
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