Flight QF 30, flying from London to Melbourne, made an emergency landing on Friday in Manila [AFP]

The Boeing 747-400 was cruising at 29,000ft on Friday with 346 passengers aboard when it was shaken by what passengers described as an explosion.

En route to Melbourne, Australia, from London, the aircraft managed to land safely minutes later at the Manila airport.

The possibility of an explosion is one of several scenarios being considered by investigators, Julian Walsh of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said on Sunday.

"There are oxygen cylinders contained in the cargo compartment, but the relevance of that will certainly be covered in the investigation," he said.

Loud bang

The passengers on Flight QF 30 had just been served a meal after a stopover in Hong Kong when they heard a loud bang, then their ears popped as air rushed out of the 9ft hole in the aircraft's side.

Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling as the jet descended rapidly and debris flew through the cabin from a hole that suddenly appeared in the floor.

There were no injuries among the passengers and crew.

Four specialists from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau inspected the aircraft on Saturday and were to continue through the weekend.

Boeing and the US National Transportation Safety Board were also sending specialists to assist.

An official of the US Transportation Security Administration said initial reports indicated no link to terrorism.

Rust ruled out

Peter Gibson, spokesman for Australia's Safety Authority, said speculation that rust contributed to the accident could be discounted.

"It's clearly an extremely rare and unusual event that a hole opens up in the fuselage," he said in Australia.

Passengers of Qantas747 have complained of faulty emergency equipment [AFP]

"I know there's a number of theories around, but they're just that at this stage, they're just theories. We don't have the solid facts."

Qantas boasts a strong safety record and has never lost a jet to an accident. The last crash of a smaller airline was in 1951.

Meanwhile, some passengers told Australian media that their oxygen masks failed to work properly during the crisis, leading some to nearly pass out.

Other passengers, while applauding the pilot and crew's performance, told of having to share oxygen masks between three people because of faulty or broken emergency equipment.

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