Ten passengers and crew members were injured when a Cathay Pacific Airways flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong was hit by severe turbulence on Saturday, with one traveller saying it felt like “free-falling from a drop tower” as everyone screamed and items flew through the air. 

The passenger said the sudden drop in altitude lasted about two seconds and occurred two hours before the expected landing time, just as flight attendants were about to serve economy-class passengers their meals, the South China Morning Post reported.

Cathay said 10 people, including two Australians, were injured and sent to hospital in Hong Kong for treatment following the turbulence on flight 156.

"Medical personnel boarded the aircraft to assess the conditions of a small number of passengers and crew who reported feeling unwell, and they were provided with the utmost level of care," Cathay Pacific told nine.com.au.

"Six cabin crew and four passengers reported minor injuries, and eight of them were sent to the hospital for further medical care."

Images posted on Instagram by Aviation Knowledge, which say they're from the flight, show oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling, food scattered on the floor, and a female worker wiping her eyes while sitting on an ambulance trolley.

While turbulence-related fatalities are quite rare, injuries have piled up over the years.

In 2024 a British grandfather died and dozens were injured after a flight carrying more than 50 Australians from the United Kingdom to Singapore was hit by severe turbulence.

Clear-air turbulence happens most often in or near the high-altitude rivers of air called jet streams.

The culprit is wind shear, which is when two huge air masses close to each other move at different speeds.

Source: South China Morning Post/9 News