The Age is still running with food poisoning and turbulence being the cause...
Turbulence, food poisoning strikes V Australia flight
Thomas Hunter
February 1, 2011 - 9:13AM
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Passengers and flight crew suffered from food poisoning and turbulence-related injuries on a V Australia service from Phuket early today, paramedics say.
Ambulance crews went to Melbourne Airport to meet the plane following reports that eight people - four cabin crew and four passengers - had been injured when VA20 hit turbulence north of Jakarta.
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''A small number of guests suffered minor injuries,'' confirmed V Australia spokesman Colin Lippiatt.
Mr Lippiatt said the aircraft did not sustain damage and described the turbulence as moderate.
''It's standard procedure that whenever an aircraft is entering turbulence that the captain would issue a public address asking people to sit down and buckle their seat belts,'' he said.
''My information is that is what happened in this instance. But as you could imagine, sometimes cabin crew are out doing their work and were not sitting at the time the turbulence hit.''
Flight VA20 landed at Melbourne Airport at 7.41am.
Paramedics team manager Jerome Peyton said a combination of food poisoning and turbulence made some passengers unwell.
''One passenger was suffering food poisoning and was vomiting as a result,'' said Mr Peyton.
''Others nearby also began to feel ill. At about the same time there was reportedly some turbulence experienced during the flight.
''Two flight crew suffered minor injuries as a result. We are told one struck their head, the other fell over and an airline trolley landed on them.
''We have assessed those people, and no one needs treatment. It shows that our emergency response plan works well.''