Bali flight turbulence injures 12

Hong Kong Airlines' Airbus A330-200, right, sits on the tarmac as the passenger plane returns to Ngurah Rai international airport after it ran into a severe turbulence in Bali, Indonesia, Saturday, May 7, 2016. The plane carrying 204 passengers and 12 crewmen encountered the turbulence above Kalimantan, Indonesia’s part of Borneo, while flying from Bali island to Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A Hong Kong Airlines flight from Bali hit turbulence en route to Hong Kong, forcing the plane to turn back when 17 people were injured and 12 needed hospital treatment.

The Airbus A330-200 hit a bout of adverse weather above Borneo one hour into the journey, injuring passengers on board as well as three crew members, and prompting the pilot to return to the Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar for an emergency landing.

The injured persons were immediately dispatched by ambulance to the hospital or the airport’s health clinic, depending on the severity of injuries.

The incident comes just four days after 31 passengers on an Etihad Airways flight bound for Abu Dhabi were hurt by turbulence that sent luggage flying into the aisles, according to The National UAE.

Turbulence, generally brought on by adverse winds, is responsible for the majority of plane injuries and caused 1471 accidents in 2012, according to Donald Eick, a senior meteorologist with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

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