Turbulence on Malaysia Airlines flight injures dozens

Thursday, June 9, 2016, 6:24 PM - If you're looking for a reason to keep your seat belt on for the duration of a flight, here it is.

Dozens of passengers were injured on a Malaysia Airlines flight en route to Kuala Lumpur from London after being hit by severe turbulence.

"Malaysia Airlines flight MH1 from London-Heathrow landed on time in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday 5 June," the airlines says in a statement.

"During the flight over the Bay of Bengal the passenger seat belt light was switched on due to air turbulence. Due to a brief moment of severe turbulence some passengers suffered minor injuries."

Medical crew and the airline's senior management were on-hand when the plane landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the statement goes on to say.

Passengers were treated at the scene.

"Malaysia Airlines has assisted the 378 passengers and crew onboard MH1 and sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience caused by this weather event which was entirely beyond our control," the airline says.

According to Malaysian media, 34 passengers and six crew members were injured.

What is turbulence?

Flying is considered one of the safest forms of travel, but sometimes it can be a bumpy ride.

"As a jet flies through the air, it mostly encounters smooth wind flow, which translates into a smooth flight for the crew and passengers," writes Weather Network digital meteorologist Scott Sutherland.

"However, on some flights, the smooth ride is interrupted by periods of shaking, jostling and sometimes stomach-churning rises and falls. These are the effects of turbulence, as the plane flies through pockets of rising, falling and rolling air, typically called eddies.

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The severity of the turbulence is based on how big these eddies are, the strength of the wind shear (the differences in wind speed and/or direction between the outside of the eddy and the inside), and how quickly the plane flies through them."

Usually, turbulence amounts to nothing more than a small rattle -- but when it becomes severe, a plane can be lifted or dropped several hundred metres or more.

"Most times, the crew is able to warn passengers about these encounters well in advance, due to weather forecasts, reports from other planes and the knowledge and experience of the flight crew," Sutherland writes.

"However, there are times when the plane can fly into this kind of trouble with little to no warning at all."

Sources: Facebook/Twitter | Mashable