Ten people injured on flight from Brisbane after plane hits severe turbulence

Published: 04:57, 25 May 2026 | Updated: 04:59, 25 May 2026 Ten people have been injured on a flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong after severe turbulence threw passengers and cabin crew into the ceiling. Flight CX156 was just over two hours from landing in Hong Kong on Saturday when the plane hit turbulence, with those injured assessed by medical personnel upon arrival. Eight people were taken to hospital for further treatment. The plane experienced difficulties just as the crew had begun the economy-cabin breakfast service, resulting in food items and carts being upended, overhead lockers springing open with passengers' belongings and oxygen masks being released. Cairns man Nicholas Stevenson said he feared for his life when the turbulence struck without warning, and described the plane as 'just dropping' from the sky. 'I thought the plane was going down,' the businessman told the ABC.  'People were screaming. There was a lot of people really freaking out.' He said the plane plunged twice in quick succession, with any passengers not wearing their seatbelts thrown into the roof. Ten people have been injured on a flight from Brisbane after severe turbulence threw crew and passengers into the ceiling The plane hit turbulence just as the crew had begun the economy-cabin breakfast service 'The first one caught everyone completely off guard, and then probably 15 or 20 seconds later it happened again,' Mr Stevenson said. 'People who'd just managed to get back into their seats or grab onto something got thrown around again.' He said the cabin crew appeared to suffer the worst injuries because they were standing in the aisles with heavy service carts when the aircraft dropped. 'The staff got hit pretty badly because not only were they thrown, but the food carts went flying into them as well,' he said. Passengers only realised the seriousness of the situation after calls went out asking whether any doctors were onboard, with four people reportedly putting their hands up to help. The injured passengers were treated at the back of the cabin while the plane continued on to its destination, with the pilot later explaining the aircraft had encountered a sudden weather system. 'The pilot said they believed it was some sort of thunder or lightning cell,' Mr Stevenson explained. 'He said they didn't really see it on the radar until the last minute because it was dark.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.