BREAKING NEWS! EgyptAir hijacked plane: Man wearing suicide vest takes hostages on jet with British and American passengers on board
EgyptAir hijacked plane: Man wearing suicide vest takes hostages on jet with British and American passengers on board
…..Cypriot authorities said the plane had landed at Larnaca Airport and negotiations were underway
An Egyptian passenger plane has landed in Cyprus after being hijacked by a man wearing a suicide belt.
EgyptAir Flight 181 was on a scheduled journey from Alexandria to Cairo when it veered off course on Tuesday morning.
Sources told Reuters that eight British passengers and 10 Americans were on board but it was unclear if they had been released or were among the four foreigners held hostage as negotiations continued.
The recorded flight path of EgyptAir flight 181 showed it landing in Cyprus (Flightradar24)
Androulla Vassiliou, the Cypriot former European Commissioner for Education, wrote on Twitter that the plane landed at 8.50am local time (6.50am BST).
“Hijacked aircraft of Egypt Air with 82 passengers landed at Larnaca airport,” she wrote. “We are anxious to learn more.”
The number of people on board was later revised to 56 passengers, seven crew and a member of security staff in a statement from EgyptAir.
Satellite data recorded by the Flight Aware website showed the Airbus A320 took off from Borg El Arab Airport as scheduled but lists its status as “result unknown”.
A policeman stands guard at Larnaca Airport near a hijacked Egypt Air A320 (Reuters)
The situation at the Larnaca airport was unclear but Ms Vassilou said hijackers claimed to be prepared to release some of those on board.
“Hijackers asked all police forces to leave the area in order to release women and children passengers,” she wrote.
