Airplane makes emergency landing in Bulgaria over bomb threat

– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community

PHUKET: An airplane with 161 people aboard made an emergency landing in the Black Sea city of Burgas on today following a bomb threat while en route to Egypt from Poland’s capital of Warsaw, Bulgarian authorities said.

All passengers and crew were evacuated, but no explosives have been found aboard, a spokeswoman for the Burgas airport told Reuters, adding that the airport remained closed.

“The plane landed in Burgas at 0548 am (0348 GMT) after a request from the captain of the flight, travelling from Warsaw to Hurghada, Egypt, to make an emergency landing due to a report of explosives on board,” the press officer said.

A passenger who alerted crew member about a possible bomb admitted on questioning to having consumed alcohol, a police spokeswoman said.

A spokesman for Polish national airline LOT said the aircraft did not belong to the airline but had been chartered.

— Phuket Gazette Editors