American Airlines flight diverted to St. John's with injured passengers

Seven people were sent to hospital Sunday night after an American Airlines flight was diverted to the St. John's, N.L., airport on its way from Miami to Milan.American Airlines Flight 206 experienced brief but severe turbulence, which left three flight attendants and four passengers with injuries. It landed safely in St. John's at 9:46 p.m."I'm just happy to be alive. It was scary," passenger Gustavo Canda, who was travelling to Abu Dhabi, said.
 "I was just praying the whole time because it was scary." According to passengers, all the injured people were at the back of the plane. Passengers said that some of the flight attendants had been standing up when the turbulence occurred."It rolled on its side. Everything went flying. It was pretty intense," said passenger Karen Case, who said the plane dropped twice."I really thought that was it."

Case said that people were screaming, while flight attendants tried to calm people down.Canda said that some people on the flight passed out from the turbulence, and that some needed oxygen masks. Although he travels about once every three months, Canda said he's never experienced turbulence like he did Sunday evening.

Injured passengers being assessed

Passengers said the turbulence started three to four hours after takeoff and that the flight landed in St. John's more than an hour after the turbulence occurred.
The seven injured people have been transported to the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's for further evaluation."We are taking care of our passengers and crew, and we are working on next steps to get them safely to their destination," a spokesperson for American Airlines said in a statement.
There were 203 people on board the Boeing 767 — 192 passengers and 11 crew members. American Airlines officials say the seatbelt light was on when the flight encountered turbulence.According to the Transportation Safety Board, the turbulence happened over United States airspace so it is under U.S. jurisdiction. 

Passengers to stay in St. John's

Remaining passengers are being processed through customs and will stay at the Delta Hotel in St. John's overnight.Case said she's grateful to be safe on the ground, regardless of where she is.
"I was very thankful. You say your prayers and you want to come here," she said.Passenger Jill Nelson-Debord said she's glad to be in Newfoundland."Always wanted to come here, maybe not under these circumstances," she said, laughing.The American Airlines website says the flight is leaving St. John's for Milan at around 8 p.m. Monday evening.