'People were screaming': 14 injured after Korean Air flight encounters turbulence en route to Mongolia

Ten passengers and four cabin crew on board a flight from Korea to Mongolia last Sunday (Aug 4) suffered injuries when the plane encountered severe turbulence.

The Korean Air plane was carrying 281 passengers, reported Korean media outlet KBS News.

It was cruising an altitude of 34,100 feet near China's Tianjin Airport when turbulence hit, causing the plane to "shake violently" for about 15 seconds.

Pictures and videos uploaded on social media show cutlery, in-flight meals and other items strewn across the aisle.

An X user wrote: "Just as I was about to finish eating the in-flight meal, turbulence started and the plane descended rapidly, people were screaming, all the plates were overturned, and it was chaos.

"For one second [I thought], oh, am I going to die..?"

몽골여행 5박 6일 시작
ㅎ 기내식 다먹을즈음 난기류 시작해서 비행기가 급하강해가지고 사람들 비명지르고 식판 다엎어지고 난리남ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 1초간 아 죽나..? 싶었네 요즘 난기류가 심하다고 들었는데 진짜네요 pic.twitter.com/KtHNKefMYv

— 티슷/커미션 메인트윗 (@pinkteest) August 4, 2024

According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, a travel blogger named Kim Hae-in wrote in a blog that passengers with unfastened seatbelts "shot up in the air".

"One passenger bounced really high, hit their head on the ceiling and dropped into the aisle," she said.

Lightning and thunder

Korean Air said that none of the 14 people sustained serious injuries.

The national carrier added that Tianjin Airport was experiencing lightning and thunder at the time of the incident. In-flight meal service was stopped, and passengers were advised to remain in their seats and buckle their seat belts.

Korean Air also reportedly supplied passengers with painkillers on the flight, and a medical team waiting at Ulaanbaatar treated the patients after the plane touched down. 

All passengers cleared immigration without any problems.

In a statement last Thursday, three days before the incident, Korean Air announced that it will stop serving instant cup noodles on long-haul flights.

"This decision is part of proactive safety measures in response to increased turbulence, aimed at preventing burn accidents," said the airline in a statement then.

ALSO READ: 1 dead, 30 injured after severe turbulence on London-Singapore SIA flight

lim.kewei@asiaone.com