EgyptAir plane makes emergency landing in Uzbekistan over bomb scare
A passenger reads a newspaper at a departure hall of London’s Heathrow terminal
as an EgyptAir plane taxis on the tarmac of the airport May 20, 2016.
(Photo: Reuters/ File Photo)
CAIRO – An EgyptAir plane en route to China has been forced to make an emergency landing in Uzbekistan after the airline received a tip off about explosives on board.
The MS955 flight, from Cairo to Beijing is said to have been carrying 118 passengers and 17 crews. All have been evacuated.
Flag carrier Uzbekistan Airways confirmed the information in a statement: “On the morning of June 8, information was received about a possible explosive device on board an А330-220 airliner belonging to an Egyptian air carrier and heading from Cairo to Beijing.”
The plane is now being searched by security services to find out if there really is an explosive on board, the local airline reported.
The incident comes just weeks after Egyptair flight MS804 crashed into the Mediterranean on May 19, killing 66 people.
– TiVi Tuan-san
