A Boeing jet heading from England to Australia has made an emergency landing in the Philippines after a 9ft hole appeared in the fuselage.

Passengers on the Qantas flight say they heard a loud bang before oxygen masks fell down and the plane dropped 20,000 feet.

None of the 365 people on board the plane was hurt in the incident.

Engineers are investigating the cause of the massive hole.

Manila International Airport Authority deputy manager for operations Octavio Lina said:

"There is a big hole on the right side near the wing," he said, adding it was 2.5 to 3 yards (meters) in diameter.

"The flooring gave way, exposing some of the cargo beneath. The ceiling around the area also collapsed.

"Upon disembarkation, there were some passengers who vomited.

"You can see in their faces that they were really scared."

One passenger said: ""There was an incredible boom. Everyone thought the plane would disintegrate. Baggage was flying out. The hole goes right under the plane. It's about two metres by four metres."

Another passenger said: "It was very well handled by the Qantas staff - that is the thing that stood out to me. They did a very good job of keeping everyone calm, keeping it under control."

Owen Dixon is the Chief Executive of Qantas - he says the incident has left everyone baffled.

"It is a very rare event so there will obviously be a huge investigation into how it happened", he said.

Qantas said the 747-400 was not the one that was used to fly Pope Benedict XVI out of Australia earlier this month after his visit to Sydney.