About 20 people were lightly injured when an Airbus A300 belonging to an Italian budget airline ran off the runway at the Palermo airport after landing in heavy rain, a news agency reported.
The airline said a sudden gust of wind could have caused the accident on Friday night on the Wind Jet flight that was carrying 123 passengers and five crew members from Rome to Sicily, Italy’s ANSA agency said.
The passengers exited the aircraft on inflatable emergency slides.
Earlier reports had 30 injured. Many passengers did complain that they had not received assistance quickly enough.
The victims, suffering primarily cuts and bruises, were treated at the airport’s hospital ward.
The prosecutor’s office in Palermo plans to start an investigation. The Falcone—Borsellino Airport was closed to air traffic until 9 pm (1900 GMT) on Saturday.
