Confronting pictures have emerged from inside an Emirates flight from Perth to Dubai, where 14 people were injured after it hit severe turbulence.

Passengers and crew were among the injured after the A380 “began shaking violently” as it approached the Persian Gulf early on Tuesday.

They were given only the briefest warning of the turbulence, with the pilot telling those aboard to take their seats and buckle up only moments before it hit. The shaking was reportedly so severe that anyone who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt was thrown from their seat.

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One passenger tweeted her fear as the turbulence hit.

“I hate flying, so I rarely get up unless I need to. The pilot announced turbulence and to sit down. Literally a second later, myself and others hit the ceiling. You can see my hair in the crack. The crew were so supportive,” she wrote on X.

“I want to thank the cabin crew for doing the best that they could in the situation and the medics for attending. It was very scary for everyone, it even crossed my mind in the moment, if this was it, am I going to die. I hope others injured or traumatised, find quick recovery.”

Another wrote that they “genuinely felt that was the end as we hit the ceiling to ground twice and smashed the ceiling in”.

The pictures show internal damage to the plane after the terrifying incident.

“We can confirm that flight EK421 from Perth to Dubai on 4 December briefly encountered unexpected turbulence mid-flight. While onboard, those injured were assessed and assisted by our crew and medically-trained volunteers, with additional medical support provided via satellite link,” Emirates said.

The plane, which left Perth about 10.30pm, continued on to Dubai. It landed at 4.45am local time.

“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,” Emirates said.

There are multiple reports that at least one passenger sought help later in the flight and was given oxygen.

This week’s incident came after several crew from discount domestic airline Bonza were hospitalised after a flight from Rockhampton to the Sunshine Coast hit unexpected turbulence.

Clear-air turbulence is invisible, unlike other turbulence which is associated with storms and can be identified via radar imagery and other sensing tools used for aviation.

As clear-air turbulence is invisible, it can be particularly hazardous.

Alarmingly, a study by Britain’s University of Reading earlier this year found incidents of clear-air turbulence had increased up to 55 per cent from 1979 to 2020. Researchers blamed climate change, saying that warmer air caused by greenhouse gas emissions increases wind shear in jet streams, which strengthens clear-air turbulence.