An engine on a Qantas superjumbo flying from London to Sydney via Singapore exploded mid-flight, blasting debris over western Indonesia.
The
Qantas flight QF32, which had 459 people aboard made an emergency landing at Changi Airport in Singapore, from where it had just taken off 15 minutes earlier.
the fuselage on the left wing had visible burn marks and was missing a
section of plate that would have been painted with the red kangaroo
logo of the airline. The upper part of the left wing also appeared to
have suffered some damage.
“There were flames – yellow flames came out, and debris came off … you could see black things shooting through the smoke, like bits of debris,” she said.
“We are not going crazy at all,” he said.
“The crew helped tremendously. I felt in good hands. Qantas did a great job in keeping us safe.”
Passengers were to stay in Singapore hotels overnight.
People were photographed holding pieces of the engine cover they had found on the ground.
“I
thought I heard an explosion and when I looked up I saw a plane going
round and round and there was smoke coming out of its tail,” one
witness said. “Then three or four pieces of metal fell out of the sky”.
“We’re not going to take any risks with passenger safety.”