A nightmare Cathay Pacific flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong has left 10 people injured, with two Australians among those hospitalised.
Six crew members and four passengers were injured after the A350-900 plane experienced severe turbulence on Saturday.
It is understood that crew were beginning to serve breakfast to passengers when turbulence struck just over two hours before flight CX156’s arrival in Hong Kong, according to The Australian.
Those injured were medically assessed upon arrival, with eight of them being hospitalised.
A spokesperson for the airline said the injured people “were provided with the utmost level of care”, the masthead reported.
“We will continue to follow up and provide the necessary assistance,” they said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs is “aware of reports that two Australians had been hospitalised in Hong Kong,” a department spokesperson told SkyNews.com.au.
“We stand ready to offer consular assistance to any Australian citizen, should it be requested,” they said.
Pictures of the plane’s cabin shared on social media showed food items and liquid scattered across the floor and trolleys tipped over.
One passenger on the flight, Cairns businessman Nicholas Stevenson, told the ABC the “plane just dropped”.
“I thought the plane was going down,” he said.
Mr Stevenson described chaotic scenes amid the turbulence, with food going “absolutely everywhere” and people screaming.
The businessman also said unsecured passengers were “thrown around” after the plane plunged twice within 15 to 20 seconds.
“Anyone that didn’t have their belts on hit the roof,” he said.
SkyNews.com.au has contacted Cathay Pacific for comment.
It comes after a similar incident in April last year when three people were injured during a flight from Sydney to Nadi in Fiji.
Three cabin crew and one passenger aboard flight FJ910 sustained minor injuries after the Fiji Airways plane hit severe turbulence.