Severe turbulence on Hawaii-bound flight injures 36

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-six people were injured Sunday after a Hawaiian Airlines flight hit severe turbulence before landing in Honolulu, the capital of the U.S. state of Hawaii, local media reported, citing officials.

The plane from Phoenix, Arizona, experienced severe turbulence roughly 30 minutes outside of Honolulu, local television station KHON-TV reported, adding that Honolulu Emergency Medical Services and American Medical Response responded to the emergency Sunday afternoon at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

The report said paramedics and emergency medical technicians treated 36 patients on the scene.

Officials said that 20 patients, ranging from a 14-month-old to adults, were transported to hospital, of which 11 were in serious condition.

Hawaiian Airlines confirmed that the plane, an Airbus A330 aircraft carrying 278 passengers and 10 crew members, landed safely in Honolulu at about 10:50 a.m. local time (0050 GMT) after the incident.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the incident.