Quantas Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Manila

Passengers on a Qantas jumbo jet bound for Melbourne told how the plane plunged 6,000 meters and debris flew through the cabin in an “absolutely terrifying” mid-flight ordeal Friday.

The Qantas Boeing 747 plane, carrying 346 passengers and 19 crew, made an emergency landing in the Philippine capital Manila after a rupture in its fuselage.

Speaking to Agence France-Presse at Manila airport and to Australian media, passengers told how the aircraft was left with a “gaping hole” in its carriage, and there had been “explosive” decompression in the cabin.

Melbourne woman June Kane said debris shot through the cabin.

“There was a terrific boom and bits of wood and debris just flew forward into first [class] and the oxygen masks dropped down,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“We were told that one of the rear doors, a hole had blown into it, but I’ve since looked at the plane and there’s a gigantic gaping hole in the plane.

“It was absolutely terrifying but I have to say everyone was very calm.”

Phil Rescall, a 40-year-old Englishman, said the crew had been very calm and there was no panic.

“The shock came when many got off the plane and saw the hole,” he told Agence France-Presse.

“You see the hole and you realize we were very lucky,” he added.

“Some people were crying, some people were pretty shaken when they saw the hole.”
Another English passenger, Robin McGeechan, 42, said that despite the bang there was little panic.

“There was no warning, just a big bang and then there was depressurization of the cabin and the oxygen masks dropped,” he said in Manila.

“The engines of the plane never stopped running. so I did not think the damage was serious,” he said. “We thought we could just set down and then take off again.”

“We were told a door had popped. We only realized that there was a great big hole in the plane after we landed,” McGeechan added.

June Kane said the problem seemed to centre on the baggage compartment of the plane.

“I’m looking at the plane now and on the left-hand side, just forward of the wing, there’s a gaping hole from the wing to the underbody,” she said.

“It’s about two meters by four meters and there’s baggage hanging out so you assume that there’s a few bags that may have gone missing.”

An unnamed passenger told the Melbourne Herald Sun’s website how children burst into tears after a “quick bang” reverberated through the cabin. She said the plane plunged then stabilized after about five minutes.

Melbourne resident Brendan McClements praised the crew for landing the plane safely.

“The crew were terrific, they did a great job. Everyone gave them a round of applause as we landed,” he told the Herald Sun.

Qantas said initial inspections revealed the aircraft had sustained a hole in its fuselage, and it was currently being inspected by engineers.

It said there were no reports of any injuries to passengers or crew.

A Qantas supervisor in Manila said passengers had been taken to hotels in the city. An official said the flight originated in London and had been due to arrive in Melbourne on Friday evening.

Source: Agence France-Presse

Ferry Sinks Off Romblon; Fate of 823 Passengers Unknown

A ferry carrying 823 people sunk off the coast of Sibuyan Island in the central Philippines after encountering huge wages brought by typhoon “Frank” over the weekend. Police in the town of San Fernando in Romblon province reported that the “MV Princess of Stars” of Sulpicio Lines was found upside down off the coast of the town.

At least four bodies and children’s footwear were recovered on the shores of San Fernando town in the province of Romblon. Mayor Nanette Tansingco of San Fernando said police the bodies were recovered on the shore of Mabulo village Sunday morning.

“This is already a confirmed report,” Nanette Tansingco. “I sent a speed boat to check on the report, and they saw the boat submerged with a hole in the hull. They saw the name Princess of the Star and there were at least four bodies there,” Tansingco told a radio broadcast.

Navy and coast guard ships battled huge waves and strong winds Sunday to reach the ferry. Rescue vessels aborted an initial attempt Saturday to get to the “Princess of Stars” after it reportedly ran aground near Sibuyan island, but efforts resumed amid stormy weather Sunday, coast guard chief Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said.

Typhoon “Frank” (International Codename: Fengshen) lashed the central Philippines for about four hours Saturday, setting off landslides and floods, knocking out power, and blowing off roofs from houses.

Packing sustained winds of 74 miles per hour and gusts of up to 93 mph, the typhoon shifted course Sunday to the northwest and battered Metro Manila at dawn, chief government forecaster Nathaniel Cruz said.

In southern Maguindanao province, at least 14 people drowned in flash floods Saturday, including 10 who were swept away from riverside homes, said provincial administrator Norie Unas. Five others were missing.

Meanwhile, the 23,824-ton “Princess of Stars” was “dead in the water” after its engine failed around noon Saturday, Tamayo said.

Port captain Nestor Ponteres said the ferry’s owner, Sulpicio Lines, had lost radio contact with the ship and the fate of its passengers remained unknown.

“A lot of efforts have been done to send off rescue boats, but we really can’t get through the very rough weather,” Tamayo said.

A 50-year-old man and his 10-year-old grandson were killed when a landslide buried their hillside shanty in Cotabato city Saturday, Mayor Muslimin Sema said. Authorities recovered the body of a farmer, one of three people reported missing in neighboring Cotabato province.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo directed the defense and local government departments to stand by for relief and rescue missions before she left for the United States late Saturday.

Officials said neck-deep flood waters had risen further with a high tide, forcing the evacuation of 5,000 people in Sultan Kudarat township in southern Shariff Kabunsuan province, near Cotabato city.

Officials ordered the evacuation of more than 117,000 people from areas prone to floods and landslides in central Albay province. But many returned home by midday Saturday after the typhoon missed the area.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council reported flooding, landslides and power outages caused by toppled power pylons in many areas in the southern and central Philippines. More than 100 domestic flights were canceled because of the typhoon.
The M/V Princess of the Star sent a distress signal late on Saturday from the area after becoming stranded when Typhoon Fengshen swept across the country. – GMANews.TV with reports from the Associated Press