Severe turbulence injures seven people on United Airlines flight from Cancun

Severe turbulence caused injuries to seven people on a United Airlines flight from Cancun in Mexico to Chicago and forced an emergency landing in Memphis, according to the airline.

The Boeing 737 was hit by the rough weather and forced to land on Wednesday in the latest such incident to hit the industry. One person was taken to hospital.

“United flight 1196 diverted to Memphis … after encountering a brief period of severe turbulence while the seatbelt sign was on … Paramedics met the aircraft at the gate and transported one passenger to the hospital,” the airline said in a statement.

In May a Singapore Airlines flight saw one passenger killed and 71 people injured after encountering severe turbulence. The plane dropped 54 meters in altitude in less than five seconds and diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing.

Though such injuries are rare, experts believe severe turbulence might be becoming a more serious and frequent threat in the face of the global climate crisis and changing weather patterns. A study by the University of Reading reported that incidents of severe turbulence jumped by 55% over the past four decades as more extreme weather has become more common.