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Terror as plane plunges 20,000ft
Passengers on a packed jumbo jet flight from London have spoken of their terror after a gaping hole appeared in the plane as it headed for Australia.Some passengers vomited when oxygen masks had to be used as the Melbourne-bound Qantas Boeing 747 plane prepared to make an emergency landing at Manila in the Philippines.Passengers spoke of hearing a loud bang and debris flying into the first class cabin as the plane's flooring gave way, part of the ceiling collapsed and the plane reportedly plunged 20,000ft.The aircraft touched down safely at Manila at 11.15am local time and all 346 passengers and 19 crew disembarked normally.Manila airport operations officer Ding Lima told local radio the plane lost cabin pressure shortly after take-off on the Hong Kong to Melbourne leg of its journey and the pilot radioed for an emergency landing.He said: «There is a big hole in the belly of the aircraft near the right wing, about three metres in diameter.»Upon disembarkation, there were some passengers who vomited. You can see in their faces that they were really scared."Dr June Kane, from Melbourne, said: «There was a terrific boom and bits of wood and debris just flew forward into first (class) and the oxygen masks dropped down.»On the left-hand side, just forward of the wing, there's a gaping hole from the wing to the underbody.
Oxygen cylinder link to jet blast
Australian investigators are exploring the possibility that an oxygen cylinder could have exploded mid-flight on the Qantas jumbo jet from London that was forced to plunge 20,000 feet and make an emergency landing in the Philippines.The Boeing 747-400 was cruising at 29,000 feet on Friday with 346 passengers aboard when it was shaken by what passengers described as an explosion. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling as the plane descended rapidly and debris flew through the cabin from a hole that suddenly appeared in the floor.The plane, en route to Melbourne, Australia, managed to land safely minutes later at the Manila airport.
Philippines blaze leaves 1,500 families homeless
AFilipino man and his pig swim to safety after a fire which left 1,500 families homeless.The six-hour blaze in the coastal city of Navotas, near Manila, killed a woman and her two children. Another woman drowned after jumping into the sea to escape.Firemen said the blaze quickly spread to a plastic factory in the shanty town after a petrol container next to a stove ignited.Most people store petrol in their homes to use in their fishing boats.
Dramatic pictures reveal damage caused by mid-air explosion on Qantas jet - and how passengers were lucky to survive
AQantas jet crippled by a mid-air explosion will be repaired and flying to London again by November — as dramatic pictures today revealed how close to disaster the aircraft had come. Officials said the Melbourne-bound 747 jet, which made a forced landing in Manila on a flight from Heathrow, could be repaired for less than £5 million, despite extensive damage in the fuselage. The news came as photos suggested only luck had prevented a chain reaction of exploding oxygen cylinders destroying the entire plane.
London jumbo plunges 20,000 feet after hole is ripped in its fuselage
Passengers on a packed jumbo jet flight from London today described their terror after a gaping hole was punched in the plane as it headed for Australia.Some passengers vomited when oxygen masks had to be used as the Melbourne-bound Qantas Boeing 747 plunged 20,000ft and debris flew around the first-class cabin.There was a loud bang as the flooring gave way and part of the ceiling collapsed as the pilots fought to control the jet and make an emergency landing in the Philippines. The plane touched down safely at Manila airport at 11.15am local time. All 346 passengers and 19 crew disembarked normally.Britons on Qantas flight QF30 said they feared the plane would crash as the plane rapidly lost altitude, dropping from 30,000 feet to 10,000 feet.Owen Tudor said: «There was an almighty crack and you could hear something happening.
Mid-air terror for British passengers as plane plunges 20,000ft after 'hole in its belly' causes drop in cabin pressure
Passengers vomited into oxygen masks, debris flew through the cabin and part of the ceiling collapsed when a three-metre hole torn in the belly of a Qantas Boeing 747 forced an emergency landing in Manila today. The packed aircraft, which was carrying 346 passengers and 19 crew from London to Melbourne, was said to have plunged a terrifying 20,000 feet and lost cabin pressure shortly after leaving Hong Kong bound for Melbourne. The aircraft touched down safely at Manila at 11.15am local time and all passengers and crew were able to disembark safely.
Probe into exploding oxygen cylinder in 747 aircraft emergency landing drama
An exploding oxygen cylinder may have ripped open the fuselage of a Qantas jumbo jet that had to make an emergency landing, investigators said yesterday. Such a blast would have major implications for 747 aircraft around the world, said the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority. It has sent experts to Manila in the Philippines to inspect the aircraft.