Qantas jet hits turbulence; 30 injured

Over 30 people were injured, some with broken bones and lacerations, when a Qantas passenger jet flying from Singapore to Perth struck turbulence yesterday and had to make an emergency landing at a remote Australian airport, officials said.

"While cruising in level flight, the aircraft experienced a sudden in-flight upset, resulting in injuries to a number of cabin crew and passengers, primarily in the rear of the aircraft," the Australian Air Transport Safety Bureau said in a statement.

"The crew declared a MAYDAY and diverted the aircraft to Learmonth, near Exmouth... where it landed without further incident," it said.

The pilot landed the plane manually, with help from air traffic controllers in Manila, where all 346 passengers and 19 crew disembarked safely.