Avianca flight makes emergency landing in Miami after severe turbulence

A plane flying from Medellín to New York landed in Miami after a sharp loss of altitude. Fire officials said eight people were hospitalized, while the airline reported nine people affected.

Avianca flight AV042, traveling from Medellín to New York, diverted and landed at Miami International Airport at about 3:30 a.m. on Friday, October 9. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said at least eight people were taken to hospitals.

The airline said nine people were affected: six passengers and three crew members. Fire officials told local media that eight people were hospitalized, one of them at a trauma center.

According to FlightRadar24 data cited by the New York Post, the aircraft first reached an altitude of about 35,000 feet and then lost roughly 25,000 feet within several minutes. The sharp descent began about two and a half hours after takeoff from Colombia, while the plane was over the area of Jamaica and Cuba.

The aircraft landed safely in Miami. Avianca supplied the figure of nine people affected, while the county fire service provided the number hospitalized. The figures describe different groups.