US Justice Department opens criminal investigation in Alaska Airlines blowout, WSJ reports

(Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the Boeing 737 MAX blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday citing documents and people familiar with the matter.

Investigators have contacted some passengers and crew on the Jan. 5 flight, which made an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, after a fuselage panel ripped off midair, WSJ said.

(Reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Daniel Wallis)