Severe turbulence strikes plane; 20 injured; South African plane en route to Hong Kong

South African Airways says 20 people on a Hong Kong-bound flight were injured when the plane ran into severe turbulence.

The airline said in a statement that SA286 departed Johannesburg on Tuesday and landed in Hong Kong on Wednesday, and that medics were waiting to assist the passengers when the aircraft arrived.

Airline spokesman Tlali Tlali says 17 passengers and three crewmembers were injured. The Hong Kong fire department adds that two people were critically injured. The victims were taken to three hospitals.

The airline says 165 passengers were on the plane when the turbulence struck as the plane was flying over Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital.