At least 11 people were hurt, some suffering broken necks and other fractures, after a plane operated by China Airlines hit turbulence near the Indonesian island of Bali at the weekend, an official said.

The Boeing 747-400 was hit by turbulence about 30 minutes before landing at Bali's international airport in Denpasar, airport spokesman M. Dimyati said.

The plane, carrying 338 passengers and 19 crew, was travelling from Taipei to the resort island when the incident happened.

A senior official at Indonesia's health ministry in Jakarta said the injuries included broken necks and other fractures.

"At least 11 people were injured including six who are seriously injured," Rustam Pakaya, head of the health ministry's crisis center, said.

The airport spokesman said the injured had been taken to Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar.