Plane Passengers And Crew Injured By Turbulence

Up to 34 passengers and six crew members on a Malaysia Airlines flight from London have been hurt after a plane was hit by turbulence, according to reports.

The aircraft had 378 passengers on board at the time but managed to land safely at Kuala Lumpur.

The airline released a statement saying "some passengers suffered minor injuries".

But a number of passengers affected said on social media they had gone to hospital as a result of what happened.

Images showed debris littering the aisle of the cabin, food trolleys upturned and seat fittings broken in the wake of the incident.

The Malaysia Airlines statement said: "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."

Harith Azman posted on Facebook: "I was one of the passenger in the plane and I think the pilot did the best they could to take us all home safely.

"My parents were in the toilet at that time and my father hit his head on the ceiling of the plane.

"The plane went into a very bad weather and cause the plane to free fall. The food were'nt served because the trolley was damaged."

One of those who tweeted about what happened, Shafiq Shahril, said he was in hospital in Ampang, near Kuala Lumpur airport, more than four hours after the plane touched down.

Other tweeters and news sites, including Metro TV, said that the flight had requested medical assistance on arrival as 34 passengers and six crew had been injured.

New Straits Times reported that some people were claiming that four passengers and six crew were hurt.

BH Online carried a picture of what appeared to be a passenger on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance.

The plane is believed to have been an Airbus A380, the biggest commercial airliner in use.