3 Hawaiian Airlines passengers were hospitalized after 'severe turbulence' on a flight to Sydney

• 3 Hawaiian Airlines passengers were injured following "severe turbulence," The Guardian reported.
• They were taken to hospital after the flight from Honolulu landed in Sydney on Friday.

Three Hawaiian Airlines passengers were hospitalized with injuries after the flight faced "severe turbulence."

About five hours into the flight carrying 163 passengers from Honolulu to Sydney, the plane experienced "unexpected severe turbulence," The Guardian reported.

Emergency services went to Sydney airport after the plane landed on Friday night and examined 12 people, a spokesperson for New South Wales ambulance service told the newspaper.

Three of the Hawaiian Airlines passengers were taken to hospital to be treated for their injuries, according to the report.

Three crew members and four passengers were first treated on board the Airbus A330 by medics.

A spokesperson for Hawaiian Airlines told the Guardian: "Our immediate priority is to continue to care for our passengers and crew affected by this turbulence event, and we thank Sydney airport first responders for their swift assistance."

The plane was checked before it returned to Honolulu later that evening.

One passenger told the Sydney Morning Herald that "very unexpectedly" passengers began to "bump around" as the plane started to experience turbulence before it "just dropped."

Melissa Matheso told the outlet that another passenger, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt, almost "hit the roof" but her husband stopped her from being thrust upwards. She added that one crew member and a few passengers had ice packs for their heads.

More than 100 Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar flights from Sydney were canceled on Friday due to strong winds, Daily Mail Australia reported.

Hawaiian Airlines didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.