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At least eight people were hospitalized early Friday after severe turbulence hit a New York-bound plane, forcing it to make an emergency landing after dropping 25,000 feet.
An Avianca plane left Medellin, Colombia, at 10:40 p.m. local time Thursday heading for JFK, but it was forced to divert and land in Miami just three hours into the flight.
The Airbus A320 climbed to around 35,000 feet as it flew over Jamaica and Cuba, heading north, before making a sharp descent about 2 ½ hours into the flight.
The plane descended 25,000 feet in a matter of minutes, according to FlightRadar24 data, before it then landed in Miami.
“Multiple patients” were injured, Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue officials said after the plane touched down around 3:30 a.m — with at least one of the injured serious enough to be rushed to a trauma center.
Ambulances were already waiting on the tarmac when the plane landed.
“When we arrived, when we landed, we saw that very close to where we were going to disembark, there were more than five or six ambulances,” Maria Paula Jimenez, a passenger, told CBS Miami.
“Seven of them with their lights on as if they were waiting for something. When we arrived, well, you know, it wasn’t normal.”
Video, seen by NBC6, appears to show passengers with ice packs on their heads while being instructed to stay seated.
Eight people were hospitalized, fire officials revealed, without disclosing the extent of the injuries. One person was rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center, WSVN reported.
An Avianca flight is set to leave Miami for JFK at 8:25 a.m. Friday.
It’s unclear how many passengers and crew were on board the flight.
Avianca has been approached for comment.
