Flight hit by violent turbulence, forcing emergency landing in Germany and injuring 9 people
Severe storms in southern Germany forced a Ryanair flight to make an emergency landing late Wednesday after violent turbulence injured nine people on board, German police said in a statement Thursday.
The flight, traveling from Berlin to Milan with 179 passengers and six crew members, encountered turbulence so intense around 8:30 p.m. that the pilot was forced to make an unscheduled landing at Memmingen Airport in Bavaria, a region of southern Germany. Eight passengers and one crew member were hurt.
Three people were taken to the hospital in Memmingen for treatment; the other injured people were released after receiving outpatient treatment. As a precaution, all passengers were checked for injuries by the emergency services.
Authorities did not permit the plane to continue flying, and the airline arranged bus transport for passengers. Milan is about 236 miles south of Memmingen.
It's the latest in a string of notable incidents where severe turbulence has grounded planes and injured or even killed passengers. A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Sweden to Miami had to turn around and return to Europe after hitting turbulence over Greenland in November last year. No injuries were reported, but photos showed debris scattered around the plane's interior.
Earlier last year, over 100 passengers were injured and one was killed when a Singapore Airlines flight hit clear-air turbulence while flying from London to Singapore. The flight was diverted to Bangkok, where some passengers were hospitalized.
Turbulence is more common in the warmer summer months, Taylor Garland, spokesperson for the Association of Flight Attendants, told CBS News in 2022.
Passengers can stay safe by listening to pilots and flight attendants and staying seated and buckled in when the seatbelt sign is on, Garland said.
"That seatbelt sign comes on for a reason. You should not be up or going to the bathroom," Garland said. "That sign is on for your safety, but some passengers may think 'Oh, I'll be fine,' but with turbulence, you can injure yourself and other people around you."
Elsewhere in southern Germany, storms damaged several homes in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, according to the German news agency dpa.
In the Donaustetten district, strong winds tore roofs off multiple row houses, rendering them uninhabitable, though no injuries were reported. Fire officials suspect a small tornado or waterspout caused the damage. The German Weather Service is investigating, according to dpa.
Storm-related emergency calls also came from other areas in southern Germany, where damage was mostly limited to fallen trees and flooded basements.
The weather service warned of further storms Thursday, with hail, strong winds, and localized heavy rain expected.
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