Severe storms sweeping across southern Germany forced a Ryanair flight to make an emergency landing on Wednesday night after encountering intense turbulence that left at least nine people injured, German police reported in a statement released Thursday.
The flight, en route from Berlin to Milan with 179 passengers and six crew members on board, was hit by violent weather around 8:30 p.m. Due to the severity of the turbulence, the pilot diverted the aircraft and made an unscheduled landing at Memmingen Airport in the state of Bavaria.
Among the injured were eight passengers and one crew member. Three individuals were taken to a hospital in Memmingen, while the others received outpatient treatment. As a precaution, emergency services examined all passengers for potential injuries.
Authorities did not permit the aircraft to continue its journey, so the airline arranged for buses to transport the travelers to Milan, located approximately 380 kilometers (236 miles) south of Memmingen.
Meanwhile, the storms caused additional damage in other parts of southern Germany. In the city of Ulm, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, several homes in the Donaustetten district suffered major damage after strong winds tore roofs off adjoining houses, rendering them uninhabitable. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Firefighters suspect that a small tornado or waterspout may have caused the destruction—an investigation is currently underway by the German Weather Service (DWD), according to the dpa news agency.
Emergency services received a high volume of calls from other areas in the region as well, although damage there was mostly limited to fallen trees and flooded basements.
The DWD has issued continued weather warnings, forecasting more storms on Thursday with the potential for hail, strong winds, and localized heavy rainfall.
