2 injured on Southwest flight after turbulence forces emergency landing in Tampa

Julia Gomez, USA TODAY
Updated ·1 min read
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A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 is seen at its gate at Palm Springs International Airport in Palm Springs, Calif., Saturday, March 23, 2024.

A Southwest Airlines flight headed to Orlando from New Orleans made an emergency landing in Tampa Wednesday after it encountered turbulence, and two people, including a flight attendant, were injured.

Southwest flight 4273 departed from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport at 6:44 a.m. and landed in Tampa at 8:56 a.m. on Wednesday after the captain declared an emergency and requested paramedics to treat anyone who may be injured, according to a statement from Southwest and available flight data.

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The two people who were injured were transported to the Tampa Bay-area medical facility. Southwest told USA TODAY that one of its flight attendants was injured and transported by paramedics, but it did not confirm who the other person was.

The flight eventually made it to Orlando's airport, MCO, but Southwest reported a four-and-a-half-hour delay.

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture. You can follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2 injured as Southwest flight hits turbulence, forced to land in Tampa