HONG KONG - AT LEAST eight people were injured when a flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong suffered severe turbulence on Friday, airport officials and media reports here said.

'We received a report from a China Eastern flight coming from Shanghai to Hong Kong that due to turbulence it required us to have an ambulance to stand by when the aircraft landed,' an Airport Authority spokeswoman told reporters.

The spokeswoman could not provide any details of the injured. The flight - number MU507 - landed shortly after 4.30 pm.

Hong Kong broadcaster Cable TV said at least eight people had been injured in the incident.

The report cited passengers at Hong Kong International Airport who said the flight had suffered three major drops and the injured had not been wearing their seatbelts.

There was no indication of how seriously they had been injured.

No-one from China Eastern was immediately available for comment. -- AFP