DC10 BLUNDERED INTO TURB AT NIGHT OVER THE PACIFIC. UNAWARE OF IMPENDING ENCOUNTER UNTIL LAST MIN. PAX WERE INJURED AND ACFT LANDED AT SFO RATHER THAN DFW; THEIR ORIGINAL DEST.

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FLT FROM HNL TO DFW PAINTING WX TO OUR L (N) OF US; WITH TOPS INDICATING AT OR BELOW OUR ALT. SEAT BELT SIGN ON SINCE TKOF AND LEFT ON DUE TO THE OCCASIONAL LIGHT CHOP. CAPT BRIEFED PAX AND #1 FLT ATTENDANT AS TO THE BUMPS AND POSSIBLE WX AHEAD. OUR DIRECTION OF FLT AND ON COURSE APPEARED TO CLR THE WX AHEAD SO WE DID NOT DEVIATE FROM AIRWAY. AT APPROX XA18Z IT APPEARED THAT WE WOULD NOT CLR A BUILDUP (THIS WAS SHOWN ONLY BY A SILHOUETTE OF A CLOUD AT THE TIME OF A LIGHTNING FLASH). I INITIATED A 15 DEG R TURN TO CLR; AND WE PASSED THROUGH A CLOUD WITH 1 LARGE JOLT. WE THEN GOT A CALL FROM THE BACK THAT PAX WERE INJURED AND CALLED TO ALERT OTHER FLTS AND OUR COMPANY. WE ELECTED TO LAND SFO RATHER THAN HNL AS TO AVOID GOING THROUGH WX AGAIN. WE WERE AT APPROX 6 MINS PRIOR TO OUR ETP POINT. WE GOT A REVISED CLRNC AND AT ABOUT 30 MINS PRIOR TO LNDG SFO WE ADVISED ATC AND DUMPED APPROX 15000 LBS TO GET TO A LNDG WT OF 403000 LBS. APCH AND LNDG WERE UNEVENTFUL AND WERE MET BY PARAMEDICS. POLICE; AND ARPT AUTH IN SFO.