On Sunday (5th June), Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH01 experienced severe clear-air turbulence (CAT) over the Bay of Bengal. The plane, an Airbus 380, was carrying 378 passengers and crew from London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur.
According to The Star, about 30 passengers and crew suffered minor injuries. MAS confirmed the incident and stated that a medical team and the airlines’ senior management met the plane on arrival in a press release. The aircraft landed safely at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) around 6:10pm.
In their statement, they said, “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, a passenger from the flight, took to Facebook to share his turbulence experience. He said, “I was one of the passengers in the plane and I think the pilot did the best they could to take us all home safely. The plane went into a very bad weather condition that caused the plane to free fall”.
Meanwhile, a Singaporean passenger known as Mary told the NST that the incident was “most terrifying” and that she thought she was going to die.
“The turbulence lasted about 3 to 5 minutes when we were about 3 hours before we were to land at KLIA. I was sitting on the upper deck. When the plane experienced the turbulence, the cabin crews were just about to serve the meals. I saw the meal packages flying off the food cart,” said Mary.
She also mentioned that she witnessed a stewardess knocking her head on the overhead bin before falling and hurting her knees.
We hope the passengers and crew that were hurt during the heavy turbulence will get well soon.
Remember, turbulence can happen to any flight, so make sure to put your seatbelt on when you are told to the next time you’re on a plane.
Sources: NST (1), NST (2), The Star, Sky News.
