Injuries as China Eastern flight hits turbulence in Sydney landing

Five passengers and two crew members on board a China Eastern flight into Sydney Airport have been taken to hospital and treated for serious injuries after the aircraft suffered through severe turbulence at high altitude. Flight MU777, a four-year-old Airbus A330 flying from Kunming to Sydney, was cruising at 20,000 feet to Sydney Airport when the turbulence struck, sending some unfastened passengers out of their seats. The plane — which had 212 passengers on board — landed safely at about 2:45pm and was met by emergency services on the runway where medical attention was provided to the injured passengers and crew. Sydney Airport confirmed emergency services were on site to treat the “small number of injured passengers” affected by the unexpected turbulence. A spokeswoman for NSW Ambulance said the injuries included neck pain, bumps and scratches. It’s an inauspicious start for the new China Eastern service which only commenced flying from Kunming in the south of China to Sydney last week. China Eastern’s general manager for Oceania Kathy Zhang confirmed there were injuries sustained on the flight. The incident has been reported to the ATSB for investigation.<br/>