Heavy snowfall in Atlanta, a Delta flight engine failed, passengers disembarked using the emergency slider, 4 injured.

Four people were injured after passengers were evacuated through an emergency slide from a Delta Airlines flight at Atlanta Airport. Snowfall at the airport caused the plane's engine to malfunction and hundreds of flights were cancelled. On Friday, passengers on board a Delta Airlines jet bound for Minneapolis were forced to suddenly evacuate after its flight was cancelled from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

A Delta spokesperson said the plane had an engine problem. The incident occurred when a snowstorm was causing cancellations and delays at Atlanta, the world's busiest airport. Officials have not confirmed whether the problem has anything to do with the cold currently hitting parts of the US.

There were 201 passengers on the flight

The 201 passengers, two pilots and five flight attendants on board evacuated the Boeing 757-300 using inflatable slides and were taken back to the concourse by bus. One of the four injured passengers was taken to hospital, while three were treated at the airport for minor injuries.

Passenger safety is most important

Delta spokesman Morgan Durant said the crew followed established procedures to suspend the flight. He said nothing is more important than the safety of our people and passengers, and we apologize to our customers for their experience. We are working to support our passengers and get them to their destination safely and quickly.

All runways at the airport are closed

The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate the incident. All five runways at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were closed at least briefly on Friday, and Delta said Friday afternoon that it had already canceled about 500 flights at the airport.

The airline said the snowfall began earlier than forecast and with greater intensity, reducing de-icing capacity and slowing operations. Delta said passengers could rebook without paying additional costs, and warned that more flights may be cancelled or rescheduled.

Thousands of flights delayed in 24 hours

Thousands of flights have been reported delayed and cancelled across the US in the past 24 hours due to the bad weather, and cold winds are expected to move south. On the ground, 245,000 customers have been left without power in several states, with most reports coming from Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana. Hundreds of schools have also been closed in Richmond, Virginia and Washington, DC, and an increase in road accidents has been reported by several state police forces.