ATLANTA - In a dramatic turn of events on Friday morning, passengers aboard a Delta Air Lines flight were forced to evacuate via emergency slides at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The evacuation was prompted by an engine issue indicated just before takeoff.

Delta Flight 2668, scheduled to fly to Minneapolis-St. Paul, had 201 passengers and 7 crew members when it aborted takeoff shortly after 9 a.m.. A spokesperson from Delta stated, "The flight crew followed established procedures to suspend the takeoff" due to an indication of an engine problem, as reported by CNN.

Footage showed passengers evacuating the Boeing 757-300 and walking away on the tarmac amidst falling snow, with four passengers suffering minor injuries. One individual required hospitalization while three others received on-site treatment, according to information from the site ABC News.

While officials have not confirmed if weather conditions contributed to the engine complication, Hartsfield-Jackson, the world’s busiest airport, faced significant disruptions due to a winter storm, leading to more than 400 flight cancellations by late morning. Delta stated that over 500 of their flights had been canceled, as reported by AP News.

In light of the incident, Delta has expressed regret to its customers. "Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers," remarked Delta's Morgan Durrant. "We are working to support our customers and get them to their destinations as safely and quickly as possible," as mentioned in a report by CBS News.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, but no formal investigation has been launched thus far. As the storm continued to impact southern states, many flights were still operating under challenging conditions.