Tlali
said that flight SA286, which took off from Johannesburg, encountered
severe turbulence while in the Kuala Lumpur airspace.
He
said the crew of the flight immediately requested medical assistance
for the passengers, which was arranged and ready on arrival of the
aircraft in Hong Kong.
He
said there were 165 passengers on board in addition to the 25
passengers who were injured; three crew members also needed treatment.
Local
Hong Kong television channels have reported that several ambulances
were on the tarmac when the four-engine Airbus A340-300 touched down and
several were transferred to city hospitals.
There were unconfirmed reports that two of the injured were in a serious condition.
Report says it is unclear at this stage whether the aircraft was damaged.
