Investigators focus on missing oxygen cylinder in Qantas plane

Manila: An oxygen cylinder is missing from a Qantas jumbo jet after a mid-air explosion punched a hole in its fuselage, an Australian investigator said Sunday.

"It is too early to say whether this was the cause of the explosion," Neville Blyth from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau told a media briefing.

"But one of the cylinders which provides back up oxygen is missing," he said, adding that it is being treated as a safety investigation.

Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority says Qantas has been ordered to urgently inspect every oxygen bottle aboard its fleet of 30 Boeing 747s.

Blyth said the investigation would take two to three days and a full report on the findings "should be released in two to three months."

The Qantas plane made an emergency landing in the Philippines on Friday with a giant hole in its fuselage. The hole caused air pressure problems in the cabin.