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  Hijacked EgyptAir plane lands in Cyprus, 82 onboard, negotiation on

Hijacked EgyptAir plane lands in Cyprus, 82 onboard, negotiation on

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Published : Mar 29, 2016, 1:27 pm IST
Updated : Mar 29, 2016, 1:27 pm IST

The pilot of the hijacked plane was threatened by a passenger with suicide belt: civil aviation ministry.

 The EgyptAir plane, with 80 onboard has been hijacked, flying from Alexandria to Cairo.
  The EgyptAir plane, with 80 onboard has been hijacked, flying from Alexandria to Cairo.

The pilot of the hijacked plane was threatened by a passenger with suicide belt: civil aviation ministry.

An EgyptAir passenger plane en route from Alexandria to Cairo has been hijacked Tuesday and is heading to Cyprus according Cyprus sources in civil aviation ministry and police.

The hijackers reportedly allowed women and children to disembark the aircraft.

The pilot of the hijacked plane was threatened by a passenger with suicide belt, according to civil aviation ministry sources.

The hijacker threatened to detonate an explosive vest, which he said he had on board.“The EgyptAir plane was an Airbus 320 Flight 181, carrying 81 passengers and flying from Borg to Cairo airport”, according to an official statement released by EgyptAir on their Twitter account.

The hijacked passenger airliner 81 onboard landed at Larnaca airport in Cyprus according to a Cyprus state broadcaster shortly after the announcement of the hijack.

Cyprus officials suspect that the plane has a bomb on board.

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The unidentified hijackers contacted the control tower at 8:30 am (0530 GMT) and the plane was given permission to land at 8:50 am, the police said.

A police official said that the hijackers asked for police vehicles to move away from the plane. No other demands have been reported so far. A crisis team has been deployed to the airport.

Location: Cyprus