Image copyright Getty Images Image caption United Airlines Flight 1554 was forced to land in Denver, Colorado, when a woman got stuck in a toilet

A United Airlines flight was diverted in mid-air after a passenger became trapped in a toilet.

The flight, from Washington DC to San Francisco, was forced to make an unscheduled landing at Denver International Airport on Wednesday.

The "lavatory door became inoperative" during the flight, a United Airlines spokesperson told the BBC.

The passenger - a woman - was freed after landing. She was unhurt, the airline said.

A video of a mechanic attempting to open the toilet door has been shared by a passenger on Twitter.

"We're just working on opening the door at the moment ma'am; we'll get you out soon, okay," one man is heard saying in the video.

A passenger on the flight, Jennifer Gettman, told KPIX-TV that the woman "seemed fine" when she emerged from the toilet.

"Everyone clapped, the woman came out, they all felt very bad for her," Ms Gettman said. "I mean, I don't know how she was with landing in the bathroom, but she was fine."

Image copyright @taylorkkimber Image caption A mechanic attempts to open the toilet door aboard the United Airlines flight

Passengers said the woman was stuck in the toilet for about an hour. "Bring on the bathroom humour," another passenger wrote on Twitter.

Flight 1554 was expected to land in San Francisco at 20:38 local time (03:38 GMT) but instead touched down in Denver at 19:21 local time.

The flight took off for San Francisco about two hours later.

United Airlines said it is "reaching out to all customers on-board and the customer in the lavatory to apologise".

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