Kathmandu: A SpiceJet aircraft with 179
people on board was on Sunday grounded after a foreign traveller
claimed that there was a bomb inside the plane, forcing
authorities to evacuate all the Delhi-bound passengers.
However, after a thorough search of the plane,
authorities at the Tribhuvan International Airport here said
that it was a hoax.
All the passengers were evacuated after one of them
reported that there was a bomb inside the aircraft at the time
it was about to take off at 10 am, said an official at the
airport's Rescue Coordination Committee.
There were 179 people aboard, including crew members in
the SG 042 flight, which had landed in Kathmandu from Delhi
this morning.
The plane was isolated and security personnel conducted
thorough checking of the aircraft for more than three hours
after the bomb threat was reported.
The authorities, however, said that nothing was found
inside the plane.
The foreign tourist, whose nationality is yet to be
established, is being interrogated, the officials said, adding
that the aircraft is ready to fly to its destination.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, September 25, 2011, 11:36