32 injured by turbulence on China Airlines flight

The Associated Press , Bangkok | Thu, 10/02/2008 5:09 PM | World

At least 32 people were injured Thursday after a China Airlines flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok encountered turbulence, a Thai airport official said.

Most of those hurt aboard flight CI-641 from Hong Kong suffered minor cuts and bruises, but two had spine inuries, a hospital spokesman said. Early accounts said there had been fewer injuries, none serious.

The Boeing 747-400 was hit by turbulence about 20 minutes before landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport at about 1:30 p.m. (0630 GMT), said a spokeswoman for Airports of Thailand, who insisted that she no be named because she was not authorized to release information to the press.

Of the 32 injured people, 21 were passengers and 11 were crew members, she said, adding that the flight carried 147 passengers and 17 crew. The names and nationalities of those hurt were not released.

Two people were seriousy hurt with cervical spine injuries, said Chairat Panthuraamphorn, a doctor at Bangkok's Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, which administerd to 20 of the injured. The other injured passengers were taken to other hospitals.

"We are admitting four people. The rest who suffered minor cuts and bruises will be able to go home," he told The Associated Press.

A duty officer at Suvarnabhumi Airport, also speaking on condition of anonymity, saidthe captain of the flight contacted the control tower to ask to land ahead of schedule and to have doctors

Last month, a China Airlines Boeing 747-400 with 338 passengers on board was en route to Denpasar from Taiwan also countered a pocket of severe atmospheric instability over the Makassar Strait.

The pilot managed to navigate the plane out of the troubling air current, landing the plane safely at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport.

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