MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Airbus accident in flight has made an emergency landing

Qantas Airbus A330-300

A passenger plane has made an emergency landing in Western Australia after 40 people were injured following a “sudden change in altitude”, police have said.

The Qantas Airbus A330-300 flying from Singapore to Perth with 313 people on board landed at Learmonth Airport in Exmouth after making a mayday call. Qantas said there was no sign yet as to what caused the altitude change, but officials suspect it was turbulence. Emergency services, including medical personnel, met the plane on landing. A number of those injured suffered fractures and lacerations, Qantas said. Ten people with severe injuries were taken to hospital. The Royal Flying Doctor Service has also sent two aircraft to Exmouth to help transport the injured to the state capital Perth, around 1,100km (700 miles) south of the town, if necessary. The police later said Qantas was sending two planes to bring the rest of the passengers to Perth. It is not the first time in recent months that a Qantas plane has been involved in a mid-air drama. In July, a Qantas Boeing 747 flying from Hong Kong to Melbourne was forced to make an emergency landing after an oxygen cylinder caused an explosion which blew a large hole in the fuselage.