Turbulence terror hits flight, smashing passenger into the ceiling, injuring 14 people and trashing the inside of the plane as meals fly around cabin

Fourteen people have been left injured after a Korean plane bound for Mongolia suddenly plunged down during turbulence, with people hitting the roof and meals flying around.

The Korean Air flight, which had 281 passengers on board, had left Incheon and was bound for the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar on Sunday, 4th August, when it encountered serious turbulence as it flew near China‘s Tianjin Airport. 

10 passengers and four flight attendants on board the KE197 flight were reportedly injured, after they complained of back and neck pain. None of the injuries were life threatening, however. 

The plane reportedly shook for approximately 15 seconds while flying at an altitude of 10,393 metres (34,100 feet). 

One person who was reportedly on the flight said: ‘The plane sharply plunged so people were screaming and the meals were all knocked over, it was chaotic.’ 

Picture shows food and other items scattered across the plane floor

This comes as a Korean Air flight dropped and shook violently after encountering turbulence

Images showed trays of food spilled across the plane corridor, which were seemingly sent flying after the plane encountered turbulence.

Another person who was on the plane said that the passengers who were not wearing a seatbelt shot into the air, with one person hitting the ceiling and dropping into the aisle.

A medical team were reportedly on-site at the Mongolian airport to treat those who were injured.

The airline had just last week announced that instant noodles would no longer be available to economy passengers ‘in response to increased turbulence, aimed at preventing burn accidents’, Seoul-based Air Korea had said.

This comes after one person died and others were left injured on a flight from London to Singapore back in May, after it plummeted for a number of minutes in extreme turbulence before making an emergency landing in Thailand. 

The Boeing 777 plane experienced severe turbulence while flying close to the Myanmar airspace, and sharply dropped from an altitude of around 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet within just five minutes.

Terrified passengers described how they had little warning to put their seatbelts on before the aircraft suddenly dropped. 

Those not wearing seatbelts said they were ‘launched into the ceiling’. 

Also, last month a bout of extreme turbulence on a flight from Madrid to Montevideo left 30 people injured with head, face and spinal injuries.