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Empresas y finanzas

Plane makes emergency landing at Manila


    MANILA (Reuters) - A Qantas Airways plane made an emergency landing in Manila on Friday after part of its undercarriage blew off, triggering a loss in cabin pressure during a flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne.

    Passengers reported hearing a loud bang before the aircraftrapidly lost altitude and said the Boeing 747-400 had a holethe size of a mini-van on the right of its undercarriage whenit landed in the Philippine capital.

    "It was an amazing experience, but not a good one," GlenyceJohnson, 47, told Reuters.

    The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said QF30 made anemergency descent from 29,000 feet to 10,000 feet. All 346passengers and 19 crew disembarked safely. Experts fromAustralia were travelling to the Philippines to inspect theplane.

    Johnson, who was travelling home to Australia, saw itemsflying out of the plane. Oxygen masks were released.

    "I have to compliment the pilot for doing a good job, forsafely landing the plane," she said.

    John Vanharen, a sheep farmer from Tasmania, wasunperturbed by the incident.

    "That's no big deal," he said.

    QF30 left Hong Kong at 9 a.m. (2 a.m. British time) and wasdue to land in Melbourne at 9:45 p.m. (12:45 p.m British time).The flight originated in London.

    (Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Valerie Lee and AlexRichardson)