Passengers have described the terror they endured when part of a plane's engine was ripped off thousands of feet in the air.
Southwest
Airlines Flight 3472 from New Orleans to Orlando was forced to make an
emergency landing after the heart-stopping high-altitude malfunction
this morning.
An Oklahoma mum, who was travelling with her
husband and their three children - who are 5 and 7, and a baby -
described the moment she she heard a boom outside the Boeing 737 plane.
"It was just a big explosion. There was some smoke and then nothing," she told KOCO 5.
"I saw parts flapping in the wind because it was right outside my window."
"I
held my kids, and one was freaking out, crying. And so, we're trying to
hold his hand and singing and praying a lot," she said.
"I had
my faith in God, so I knew that whatever was going to happen, He was
with us," the mother said. "So I was able to stay calm. It wasn't until
after I got on the ground that I got emotional."
The incident happened mid-flight
The pilots managed to stabilise the plane and then told passengers
that one of the engines was lost, she added. The plane then made an
emergency landing in Pensacola, Florida.
The mum praised the crew's handling of the situation.
A
spokesman for Southwest Airlines said: "Today, the Captain of Flight
#3472 from New Orleans to Orlando made the decision to divert to
Pensacola due to a mechanical issue with the number one engine.
"The flight landed safely without incident at Pensacola International Airport at 9:40am central time.
"Initial reports indicate there were no injuries among the 99 passengers and five crew members on board.
"We
have notified the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), and when
authorized, we will be inspecting the aircraft to assess the damage.
The aircraft is out of service, and we will work to accommodate the
passengers to Orlando or their final destination as soon as possible."
Labour is calling for Richard Branson to be stripped of his knighthood following his bid to humiliate Jeremy Corbyn over Traingate.
Writing exclusively in the Sunday Mirror, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell slams the Virgin billionaire as a “tax exile who thinks he can try and intervene and undermine our democracy”.
He brands fatcats who avoid paying full UK tax as “freeloaders” who are
shirking their “public duty” – also singling out shamed rag trade
tycoon Sir Philip Green .
And
calling for a radical overhaul of the honours system, he adds: “Run off
to tax exile if you want. But you leave your titles and your honours
behind when you go.”
Getty
John McDonnell slams the Virgin billionaire as a “tax exile who thinks he can try and intervene and undermine our democracy”
The row between Mr Corbyn and Mr Branson flared up last week when the
Labour leader was pictured sitting on the floor of a Virgin train,
claiming he could not find a seat.
Mr Branson – injured in a high-speed cycle smash – released CCTV images that appeared to show Mr Corbyn passing empty seats.
This time last year she was gearing up for her presenting debut on the X Factor .
But tonight, Caroline Flack is a lot more laid back.
The
presenter, who was given the boot after last year's series of the ITV
talent show, shared a steamy picture with fans as she relaxed in the
bath.
Posing with her legs in the air and her head poking out the
top of a steel standalone tub, Caroline looks like she doesn't have a
care in the world.
Instagram
Chilling out
Sharing the snap from what looks like an idyllic location, she wrote on Instagram: "Crazeeeeee eyes."
Tonight the talent show is back with Dermot O'Leary, 43, taking up his role as host again.
Caroline and her co-host Olly Murs were ditched as hosts after last year's series, following a number of on-air gaffes.
Speaking
about his return, Dermot said: "There were some nerves beforehand and I
was emotional on my first day, but it felt like going home.
Corrie stars boarded their own float in Manchester’s Gay Pride parade…and it really took the biscuit.
The soap’s vehicle was a gingerbread house version of the soap’s Rovers Return pub and corner shop.
Cast favourites followed the parade’s fairytale theme of Once Upon A Time.
Kym Marsh , 40, who plays Rovers barmaid Michelle, looked stunning as Princess Rapunzel.
Sair Khan, 28, who is undies factory trainee Alya, was angelic in wings
.
Dave Nelson
Corrie beauties Rhea Bailey, Faye Brookes and Kym Marsh get into the spirit in fairytale fancy dress
Authorities in Ohio and Indiana are coping with an abnormal spike in the number of cases of heroin overdose.
In
Cincinnati alone, there have been an estimated 80 heroin overdoses -
three of them fatal - in the last two days – and a total 174 suspected
overdoses in the last week.
According to Fox News,
authorities in the Queen City believe that people are mixing heroin
with a powerful sedative used on elephants, which is 10,000 times more
potent than morphine.
Health officials in Hamilton County
say that the spike in overdose cases has devolved into a full-blown
crisis, with emergency rooms being overwhelmed with new patients
The
drug, carfentanil, is being mixed with heroin, causing an estimated 174
overdoses in just one week, according to Cincinnati authorities.
Carfentanil is considered 100 times more powerful than fentanyl, a
powerful synthetic opioid prescribed to patients recovering from
surgery.
Meanwhile,
in Indianapolis, a 'supercharged' form of heroin is believed to contain
a potentially deadly cocktail that includes fentanyl.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has warned that fentanyl is 50 times more powerful than heroin, according to USA Today. The effect is a much more intense high, but too much can send a user to the emergency room.
Dozens of
people gathered outside an Albuquerque apartment complex for a
candlelight vigil for a 10-year-old girl who was brutally murdered and
dismembered.
The
complex where Victoria Martens lived has opened up the property to
mourners who wanted to pay their respects Thursday evening.
Family,
friends and neighbors placed numerous balloons, toys, stuffed animals,
candles and flowers outside the apartment building.
Victoria turned 10 on Tuesday, the same day police found her lifeless body.
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Dozens of people gathered outside an
Albuquerque apartment complex for a candlelight vigil for a 10-year-old
girl who was murdered and dismembered
The complex where Victoria Martens
lived has opened up the property to mourners who wanted to pay their
respects Thursday evening
