By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
MINNEAPOLIS/AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – A Delta Air Lines flight traveling from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Amsterdam was forced to make an emergency landing in Minneapolis after encountering severe turbulence that left 25 people injured, the airline and authorities confirmed.
Delta Flight DL56, an Airbus A330-900 carrying 275 passengers and 13 crew members, experienced unexpected turbulence approximately two hours after takeoff while flying over the United States, officials said.
The aircraft diverted to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, where it landed safely at approximately 7:45 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
“Medical personnel met the flight upon arrival to evaluate customers and crew. Twenty-five of those on board were transported to local hospitals for evaluation and care. We are grateful for the support of all emergency responders involved,” Delta said in a statement.
The airline later confirmed that no life-threatening injuries were reported. All seven crew members who were hospitalized have since been released, as have passengers who received follow-up medical care, authorities said.
Emergency responders, including local fire and medical teams, were standing by at the gate to assist upon landing. While the nature of the injuries was not disclosed, all appear to have occurred during the turbulence.
BUSY AIRPORT
The flight was originally bound for Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, one of Europe’s busiest international gateways.
While turbulence is a common occurrence in commercial aviation, injuries of this scale remain relatively rare. However, some aviation safety experts caution that “climate change” may increase the frequency and severity of turbulence worldwide, though not everyone agrees with that assessment.
“Each year, out of more than 35 million commercial flights globally, there are an estimated 5,000 cases of severe turbulence,” the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) reported.
In a notable case in 2023, one person died and dozens were injured on a flight to Singapore due to extreme turbulence — a tragic reminder of the risks involved.
Airlines and safety officials regularly advise passengers to keep their seatbelts fastened while seated, even when the seatbelt sign is off, to help reduce the risk of injury during unexpected turbulence.
Delta Flight DL56 was still early in its transatlantic route when the incident occurred. The airline has not yet confirmed when or how passengers will continue their journey to the Netherlands but said support teams are assisting travelers.
“Our priority is always the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew,” Delta emphasized.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
In a decision that could reshape federal identification standards, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Trump administration to enforce its policy requiring Americans to list their biological sex–male or female–on passports, rather than self-identified gender.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R–S.D.) told Republican senators Thursday to prepare for a critical Friday vote aimed at ending the nation’s longest-ever government shutdown — now in its sixth week — as lawmakers scramble to reach a deal amid growing economic strain and partisan stalemate.
The Senate on Thursday narrowly rejected a Democratic resolution that would have required President Donald Trump to seek congressional approval before taking military action against Venezuela, marking the second failed attempt in as many months to rein in the administration’s campaign targeting Venezuelan drug-trafficking vessels.
Kazakhstan has officially joined the Abraham Accords, becoming the first country to do so during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, the White House confirmed Thursday evening.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday carried out a sweeping wave of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force and its terror infrastructure across southern Lebanon, marking one of the largest military operations since the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested 1,505 criminal foreign nationals in the Houston area during a roughly 10-day operation ending Oct.31.
Growing outrage over Amsterdam’s Royal Concert Hall (Het Koninklijk Concertgebouw) decision to cancel a Hanukkah concert featuring Jewish-Israeli cantor Shai Abramson has prompted an open letter from the heirs of Holocaust survivor and musician Lex van Weren, urging sponsors to withdraw support until the venue reverses course.