Ten people have been injured on a flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong after severe turbulence threw passengers and cabin crew into the ceiling. Flight CX156 was just over two hours from landing in Hong Kong on Saturday when the plane hit turbulence, with those injured assessed by medical personnel upon arrival. Eight people were taken to hospital for further treatment.
The plane experienced difficulties just as the crew had begun the economy-cabin breakfast service, resulting in food items and carts being upended, overhead lockers springing open with passengers' belongings, and oxygen masks being released. Cairns man Nicholas Stevenson said he feared for his life when the turbulence struck without warning and described the plane as 'just dropping' from the sky.
'I thought the plane was going down,' the businessman told the ABC. 'There were phones flying, coffees smashed into the roof, food absolutely everywhere. People were screaming. There was a lot of people really freaking out.' He said the plane plunged twice in quick succession, with any passengers not wearing their seatbelts thrown into the roof.
'The first one caught everyone completely off guard, and then probably 15 or 20 seconds later it happened again,' Mr Stevenson said. 'People who'd just managed to get back into their seats or grab onto something got thrown around again.' He said the cabin crew appeared to suffer the worst injuries because they were standing in the aisles with heavy service carts when the aircraft dropped.
'The staff got hit pretty badly because not only were they thrown, but the food carts went flying into them as well,' he said. Passengers only realised the seriousness of the situation after calls went out asking whether any doctors were onboard, with four people reportedly putting their hands up to help. The injured passengers were then treated at the back of the cabin while the plane continued on to its destination.
