At least 15 JetBlue passengers were injured and taken to the hospital after a sudden drop in altitude on a flight from Mexico forced an emergency landing in Florida, officials said Friday.

The Thursday flight from Cancun was headed to Newark, New Jersey, when the altitude dropped. The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was diverted to Tampa International Airport around 2 p.m. "after the crew experienced a flight control issue."

Between 15 and 20 people were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Vivian Shedd, a spokesperson for Tampa Fire Rescue.

JetBlue said it has taken the aircraft, an Airbus A320, out of service for inspection. The plane has 162 seats, according to the airline's website. It wasn't immediately known how many people were

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