Seven injured on Qantas after turbulence

[Greg McDonald]

From NEWS.COM.AU:

Seven people have been injured after a Qantas plane hit severe turbulence on a flight from Hong Kong to Perth.

Qantas corporate affairs manager David Epstein said the Airbus A330 hit the turbulence over Borneo, about four hours from Hong Kong.

"About four hours out of Hong Kong while it was flying over Borneo, it hit some very severe turbulence which the captain unfortunately didn't get a lot of notice about and as a result six passengers and one crew member sustained minor injuries," Mr Epstein told Fairfax Radio.

"Fortunately they were able to be treated on board and after receiving medical advice from our service provider ... the captain made the decision to fly on to Perth."

Mr Epstein said the plane carrying more than 200 passengers and 13 crew was operating normally.

He said there was nothing to link the incident to the aircraft type.

"It was a severe meteorological incident," Mr Epstein said.

Minor damage to two overhead panels in the cabin was also sustained in the incident and two oxygen masks were dislodged.

One of the 206 passengers on the plane, John said there was a loud bang followed by a sudden drop in altitude.

"As the plane was flying we got the normal turbulence but what happened this time was a sudden drop in altitude," he told Fairfax Radio.

"I was sitting at the exit door and I had this lady, (who) was waiting at the restroom and she flew up and hit the ceiling and came crashing down to the floor," he said.

"It was just a matter of a few seconds but it (the turbulence) was really sudden and things went flying..."

John said the elderly woman who hit the ceiling was shaken.

"She was on the floor and she was just traumatised..." he said.