American Airlines Jet Faces Turbulence, Diverts To Canada; 7 People Hurt

An American Airlines jet heading to Italy was forced to make an emergency landing in Canada due to turbulence. Seven people were hurt during the incident, according to a spokesperson for American Airlines.

American Airlines jet

On Sunday, an American Airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing due to severe turbulence that was most likely caused by snowstorm Jonas, which left about two dozen dead and thousands stranded and without electricity.

The plane left Miami, Florida for Milan, Italy. According to a brief statement issued by a spokesperson for American Airlines, it was revealed that the jet was carrying 192 passengers and 11 crew members and made an emergency landing in Canada after severe turbulence.

American Airlines Flight 206 landed at Saint John International Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is not known how but seven people including three flight attendants were injured and rushed to a nearby hospital. According to one passenger, several ambulances and paramedics were waiting on the tarmac with stretchers.

A Spanish passenger named Gustavo Canda, who appeared to be a tourist visiting Florida, shared his story on Twitter along with a video of the incident. Canda, a news junkie and activist, wrote:

“It hit like a big dip and that’s, uh, some flight attendants were without seatbelts and then they hurt themselves, and then the other people, like, I guess people passed out, because, you know, it was bad, scary. I’m just happy to be alive. So, you know, it was scary. You know, I was just praying the whole time because it was very scary,”

Passengers – Karen and Jordan Case – also tweeted about the scary moment:

“We just hung on, and then turbulence … two times… the plane actually dropped… just kind of rolled on the side and everything went flying and people… it was pretty nerve-racking… and yeah, so it was pretty intense.”

American Airlines said they are working on the next steps to get uninjured passengers to Milan. Sara Norris, a spokeswoman for St. John’s airport, said the plane will stay in Canada for the time being.

What are your thoughts on this American Airlines jet’s emergency landing?

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