Passengers on a London to Melbourne flight have described their terror after an explosion was felt in midair blowing a hole in the fuselage. Qantas flight QF30, with 300 passengers and crew on board, plunged 20,000ft after the explosion caused depressurisation.

A huge hole which ripped through the belly of a jumbo jet mid-flight may have been caused by an explosive device or a damaged fuselage, aviation experts tell Sky News. The packed Quantas Boeing 747 was forced to make an emergency landing in the Philippines Friday after the hole ripped through the plane’s belly.

Air expert David Learmount said: “It’s possible there was some kind of explosive device in the suitcases. There’s a hole where there shouldn’t be.”

But Mr Learmount, who is Safety Editor at Flight International Magazine, stressed the hole could also have been caused by a weakened hull, causing the belly of the plane to give way.

Of the luggage exposed by the hole, he said: “It’s interesting to see them – how else could that be if not an explosion?

“Bags are moved about quite roughly in the hold and the plane was built in 1991 so it has seen a lot of action. If damage was done to the fuselage over a period of time a crack could have developed…weakening to the point where it was blown out.”

The US Transportation Security Administration said initial reports show the incident was not related to terrorism.

Passengers spoke of hearing a loud bang and debris flying into the first class cabin as the plane’s flooring gave way, part of the ceiling collapsed and the plane reportedly plunged 20,000ft.

The aircraft touched down safely in Manila at 11.15am local time and amazingly all 346 passengers and 19 crew disembarked normally.

Manila airport operations officer Ding Lima told local radio the plane lost cabin pressure shortly after take-off on the Hong Kong to Melbourne leg of its journey and the pilot radioed for an emergency landing.

(Source: AP / Sky News / The Sun / Times Online)