Delta flight diverted to Minneapolis after severe turbulence: 25 hospitalized

Driving the news: Flight 56 diverted to the Twin Cities airport "due to reported in-flight turbulence that caused injuries on board," per a Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesperson.

• The Airbus A330-900 "landed safely" around 7:45pm local time, the spokesperson added in the an emailed statement early Thursday.
• Medical personnel "met the flight upon arrival to evaluate customers and crew," per a statement posted to Delta's website.

What they're saying: "We are grateful for the support of all emergency responders involved," added the statement, which noted Delta teams were "working directly" with affected customers "to support their immediate needs."

Context: "Turbulence is one of the most unpredictable of all the weather phenomena that are of significance to pilots," per a National Weather Service post.

• It's an irregular motion of the air resulting from a whirl of air, known as "eddies" and vertical currents.
• "Severe turbulence causes large and abrupt changes in altitude and/or attitude and, usually, large variations in indicated airspeed. The airplane may momentarily be out of control," per the NWS. "Occupants of the airplane will be forced violently against their seat belts."

Zoom out: ​​​Turbulence-related accidents are the most common type of accident involving air carriers" operating under U.S. regulations, according to a 2021 National Transportation Safety Board report.

• Turbulence-related injuries are rare.
• The conditions of those injured in the incident were not immediately disclosed and Delta didn't immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment on this late Wednesday.

Go deeper: Nashville plane route tops turbulence ranking

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.