Seven firecrackers were discovered in the lavatory of a United Airlines jet that flew in from Chicago with 335 people aboard, but they were too small to have caused any major damage if they had exploded, officials said on Thursday. There were no fuses on the firecrackers - which were found during a routine inspection of the airplane after it landed Tuesday night - and there was no other apparent way to detonate them, said Air port Authority spokesman Chris Donnolley.

"It could possibly be a hoax," United spokeswoman Chris Nardella said from Chicago, where the carrier is based. United had not changed its security arrangements, she said, adding that the airline's safety measures remain extremely tight.
The firecrackers measured 6 centimetres by 1 centimetre and are a type normally used in the water to stun fish, said Hong Kong police spokesman W K Lip. Bureau Report