Nine hurt as turbulence forces Ryanair plane into emergency landing in Germany

Severe storms in southern Germany forced a Ryanair flight to make an emergency landing late on Wednesday after violent turbulence injured nine people on board, German police said.

The flight, travelling from Berlin to Milan with 179 passengers and six crew members, encountered turbulence so intense around 8.30pm that the pilot was forced to make an unscheduled landing at Memmingen Airport in Bavaria.

Eight passengers and one crew member were hurt.

Three people were taken to hospital in Memmingen for treatment, the other injured people were released after receiving outpatient treatment. As a precaution, all passengers were checked for injuries by the emergency services.

Authorities did not permit the plane to continue flying, and the airline arranged bus transport for passengers. Milan is about 380 kilometres (236 miles) south of Memmingen.

Elsewhere in the region, storms damaged several homes in Ulm, Baden-Wurttemberg, according to the German news agency dpa.

In the Donaustetten district, strong winds tore roofs off multiple houses, rendering them uninhabitable, though no injuries were reported.

Fire officials suspect a small tornado or waterspout caused the damage. The German Weather Service (DWD) is investigating, according to dpa.

Storm-related emergency calls also came from other areas in southern Germany, where damage was mostly limited to fallen trees and flooded basements.

The DWD warned of further storms on Thursday, with hail, strong winds and localised heavy rain expected.