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'Severe turbulence' causes injuries on board Malaysia Airlines flight

A bout of "severe turbulence" has caused some minor injuries to passengers on board a Malaysia Airlines flight from London to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

The airline posted a statement saying the air turbulence occurred for only a "brief moment" over the Bay of Bengal on flight MH1, which had 378 passengers and crew on board.

Images online appear to show some food carts had tipped over and belongings had scattered down the aisle.

Food carts appear to have tipped. Source: Twitter/ @LazyAviator
Food carts appear to have tipped. Source: Twitter/ @LazyAviator
The airline says some passengers sustained minor injuries. Source:Twitter/ @LazyAviator
The airline says some passengers sustained minor injuries. Source:Twitter/ @LazyAviator
Belongings appear to have scattered down the aisle. Source: Twitter/ @LazyAviator
Belongings appear to have scattered down the aisle. Source: Twitter/ @LazyAviator

One picture even seems to show a crack on the exterior of an overhead baggage locker.

The airline claimed management and medical staff met the aircraft on arrival at Kuala Lumpur where a "small number" of people were treated.

The Star reports around 34 people suffered injuries.

Medical staff met the aircraft when it arrived in Kuala Lumpur. Source: Twitter/ @LazyAviator
Medical staff met the aircraft when it arrived in Kuala Lumpur. Source: Twitter/ @LazyAviator
The airline says there was a
The airline says there was a
A small number of passengers were treated. Source: Twitter/ @LazyAviator
A small number of passengers were treated. Source: Twitter/ @LazyAviator

A statement from the airline read: "Malaysia Airlines flight MH1 from London-Heathrow landed on time in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday 5 June. During the flight over the Bay of Bengal the passenger seatbelt light was switched on due to air turbulence. Due to a brief moment of severe turbulence some passengers suffered minor injuries."

"Medical crew and Malaysia Airlines senior management met the aircraft on arrival in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). A small number of affected passengers and crew have been treated by medical officers."

"Malaysia Airlines has assisted the 378 passengers and crew onboard MH1 and sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused by this weather event which was entirely beyond our control."


The airline, which was rocked by two disasters in 2014, said the flight landed on time, despite the "inconvenience" the weather event caused.

News break – June 6