Passengers injured after Qantas emergency landing
Up to 40 passengers have been injured after a Qantas flight was forced to make an emergency landing
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Tuesday, 07, Oct 2008 10:57
Up to 40 passengers have been injured after a Qantas flight from Singapore to Perth, Western Australia, was forced to make an emergency landing.
The Airbus A330-300 was forced to land at Learmonth airport in Exmouth after making a mayday call.
Passengers are reported to have suffered fractures and lacerations following a "sudden change in altitude".
"Emergency services, including medical attendants, met the aircraft on landing," a statement from the airline said. Qantas said there were no details yet as to what caused the aircraft to change altitude.
Local police sergeant Greg Lambert confirmed that ten people had been taken to Exmouth regional hospital with "quite serious" injuries.
Flight QF72 is reported to have been carrying 303 passengers and ten crew members when the incident occurred. The uninjured passengers were flown onto Perth by two other Qantas planes.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said the Airbus A330-300 had experienced a "sudden in-flight upset" while cruising in "level flight".
The majority of the passengers injured in the incident are said to have sat in the rear of the aircraft.
The ATSB said an investigation into the emergency landing would be start as soon as possible.
In July, a Qantas Boeing 747 flying from Hong Kong to Melbourne was also forced to make an emergency landing after an oxygen cylinder exploded onboard creating a large hole in the aircraft's fuselage.