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PERTH, Australia - Up to 40 passengers and crew were injured, some suffering broken bones and cuts, when a Qantas jetliner suddenly changed altitude on Tuesday, Australian police and the airline said.
The Airbus A330-300 (flight QF72) made an emergency landing at an airfield near the Western Australian town of Exmouth after making a mayday call when the mid-air drama struck during a flight from Singapore to Perth.
According to a spokesman from the Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), there are no reports of Singaporeans having been injured in the incident.
MFA said it is monitoring the situation with its High Commission in Canberra.
Singaporeans can call MFA's 24-hour hotline at 6379-8800 or the High Commission in Canberra at 61-414733944 should they have queries about their next of kin onboard the flight.
"A number of passengers and crew sustained injuries, including fractures and lacerations, on board QF72 this afternoon en route from Singapore to Perth following a sudden change in altitude," the Australian flag carrier said.
Emergency services and medical staff were on standby at the Learmonth air base, which lies about 1,100 kilometres (680 miles) northeast of the state capital of Perth, said Sergeant Greg Lambert of the West Australian Police.
"It is understood up to 40 people were injured during a mid-air incident," he said.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said early reports indicated that around 30 passengers and crew had been hurt, 15 of them sustaining serious injuries, including broken bones and lacerations.
"While cruising in level flight, the aircraft experienced a sudden in-flight upset, resulting in injuries to a number of cabin crew and passengers, primarily in the rear of the aircraft," the bureau said in a statement.
"The crew declared a mayday and diverted the aircraft to Learmonth ... where it landed without further incident," it said, adding that it was launching an immediate investigation.
Qantas could not confirm the number of injured or whether the aircraft dropped or rose suddenly in altitude.
An emergency services worker said paramedics had boarded the Qantas aircraft and were tending to the injured after it touched down at around 1:35 pm (0535 GMT).
Emergency vehicles and ambulances surrounded the aircraft after it came to a halt, eyewitnesses said.
A statement from Qantas said the A330-300 aircraft landed in Learmonth at 1.45pm (local time) and had been due to land in Perth at 2.10pm (local time).
It added that any inquiries about passengers should call Qantas in Australia on 1800 062 241.
The Qantas statement also said the airlines is sending two aircraft, a B767 and a B717 to Learmonth from Perth to collect passengers and crew. The aircraft are due to arrive back in Perth at 7.50pm and 8:35pm local time.
Qantas, which has long boasted a reputation of being one of the world's safest airlines, has suffered a spate of incidents in recent months that have tarnished its safety record.
In July, an exploding oxygen bottle punched a huge hole in the side of a Qantas Boeing 747-400, forcing an emergency landing in the Philippines. No passengers were injured in the mid-air drama.
The hole was ripped in the fuselage of the plane, which was carrying 365 people, as it cruised at 29,000 feet (8,800 metres) en route from Hong Kong to Australia.
Australian air safety investigators in August announced a safety review of Qantas after two other incidents occurred involving its aircraft within two weeks.
On July 28, a Qantas Boeing 737-800 returned to Adelaide after a landing gear door failed to retract. In early August a Boeing 767 bound for Manila turned back to Sydney after developing a hydraulic fluid leak.
But the aviation watchdog, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), said that despite the review there was no evidence to suggest any links between three mid-air emergencies on Qantas flights.
- AFP /ls
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