Former Western Australia Labor minister Alannah MacTiernan suffered a bruised face and broken ribs after an extreme bout of turbulence on a flight earlier this week.
MacTiernan was on Emirates flight EK421 from Perth to Dubai on Tuesday, which hit severe turbulence a few hours before landing.
A dozen passengers and a number of crew members were injured, with several people smashing into the ceiling as the aircraft plunged.
MacTiernan told a local newspaper she had been on her way to the COP28 climate conference when she was flung from her business class seat.
"I could barely move and was in quite a lot of pain," she told The West, "I took the full force on my chest and I also knocked my head quite badly.
"It was complete chaos, which you can understand at the moment and, I guess, immediately after because there were a lot of people hurt, including some of the crew."
By the time the plane had landed, MacTiernan said her face became swollen and badly bruised, with a subsequent CT scan showing she had broken three ribs.
Emirates confirmed the "unfortunate" incident, saying medical staff assessed both passengers and crew members.
"We can confirm that flight EK421 from Perth to Dubai on 4 December briefly encountered unexpected turbulence mid-flight," a spokesperson said.
"While onboard, those injured were assessed and assisted by our crew and medically-trained volunteers, with additional medical support provided via satellite link.
"The flight was met by medical services on landing, and Emirates has also deployed its care team to ensure the injured passengers and crew are provided all possible support."
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