American Airlines flight diverted after hitting severe turbulence that left eight injured

Two flight attendants and six passengers taken to hospital for treatment

(WBRC)

An American Airlines flight heading for Nashville from Florida was diverted to Alabama after hitting severe turbulence that left eight people onboard injured, officials say.

The flight had departed from Tampa with 56 people on it when it hit bad weather over the Pensacola area of Florida on its way to Tennessee and had to land at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.

Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service responded to the incident involving AA flight 3609 at 3.15 p.m, according to fire Captain Orlando Reynolds.

Officials say that 52 passengers were on the Embraer E175 plane, along with two pilots and two flight attendants.

Ten people were evaluated by the first responders and two flight attendants and six passengers were taken to an area hospital with minor injuries, the airline said in a statement.

“There were, at the time, as many as 10 people who thought they might have some kind of injury,” said Kim Hunt, a spokesperson for the Birmingham Airport Authority.

American Airlines said it was bringing in another aircraft for passengers to continue their journey on to Tennessee.

The Federal Aviation Administration has said that it will investigate the incident.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was aware of the initial reports of the incident but had not yet decided whether to investigate.