A Ryanair flight from Berlin to Milan was forced to make an emergency landing in southern Germany on Wednesday night after severe turbulence injured nine people, police have said.
The flight, carrying 179 passengers and six crew members, encountered extreme turbulence around 8:30 pm, leading the pilot to land at Memmingen Airport in Bavaria.
Eight passengers and one crew member were injured during the incident.
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 380 kilometers (236 miles) south of Memmingen.
In a statement, Ryanair said: “FR8 from Berlin to Milan on 4th June diverted to Memmingen after experiencing some air turbulence.
“The captain called ahead for medical assistance and the aircraft landed normally.
“To get passengers to their final destination as quickly as possible, we arranged for alternative transport from Memmingen to Milan that night, as well as a replacement flight this morning.
“We sincerely apologise to passengers affected by this diversion.”
Germany’s national weather service has warned of the risk of storms, high winds and hail.
Elsewhere in the region, 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 (DWD) 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 DWD warned of further storms Thursday, with hail, strong winds, and localized heavy rain expected.
The Nations League semi-final clash between Germany and Portugal was delayed by 10 minutes due to the hailstorm in Munich on Wednesday evening.
The storm caused a 10-minute delay to kick-off, but once the action got under way it was almost an electric start for the hosts as they started on the front foot with Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa making two great saves.
There was plenty of drama in the warm-up as midway through an electrical storm, Ronaldo had a confrontation with a young fan who was dragged away by stewards.
The hosts had gone in front early in the second half when Liverpool transfer target Florian Wirtz headed home but Roberto Martinez’s men hit back with two goals in five minutes.
A brilliant strike from Francisco Conceicao brought them level before Ronaldo bagged his 137th international goal with an easy tap-in to win the match.
It sent Portugal through to the final where they will meet either Spain or France on Sunday.
