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Seven people were injured when a United Airlines flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Chicago was diverted to Tennessee last night due to severe turbulence.
A passenger, whose identity has not yet been established, was in a non-critical condition upon admission to hospital after the flight landed at Memphis International Airport, United and the Memphis Fire Department said in separate statements.
The turbulence occurred when the plane’s fasten seatbelt sign was on, United said.
Data from FlightRadar24 showed that the plane began turning toward Memphis around 2:30 p.m. It flew a single loop south of the city before turning over the city center and landing at the airport about 20 minutes later.
The Memphis Fire Department said one person was hospitalized, but six others declined treatment and transport to the hospital. The extent of their injuries was unknown.
Due to severe turbulence, a United Airlines flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Chicago had to be diverted to Tennessee (picture)
Data from FlightRadar24 showed that the plane began turning toward Memphis at around 2:30 p.m.
A United spokesperson told local media: “We are grateful to our crew for their efforts to ensure the safety of our employees and customers and expect the flight to depart for Chicago soon.”
Chicago-based airline United said there were 172 passengers and seven crew members on board the 737-900ER aircraft.
The plane was scheduled to continue its flight to Chicago on Wednesday afternoon.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told NBC it would investigate the incident.
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