Russian plane crash lands in India after bomb threat

BET À DAY

A Russian Azur Air plane with 244 people on board made an emergency landing at a military airbase in India due to a bomb threat, authorities said on Tuesday.

The plane from Moscow to Goa in southwestern India, with 236 passengers and eight crew, landed at the air base of Indian Air Force from Jamnagar, Gujarat state, late Monday night.  

According to local media, the flight was diverted from its route after Azur Air received an email informing it that a bomb was on board the aircraft. The Russian Embassy in India said it was alerted by Indian authorities.   

“All on board are safe. The authorities are carrying out a thorough inspection of the plane,” the Russian embassy said on Twitter on Tuesday morning. 

State police told AFP that an anti-terrorist unit inspected the plane and the luggage of those on board, while passengers waited in the airport. “Nothing suspicious has been found so far,” Premsukh Delu, a police official from Jamnagar, said on Tuesday. 

Russian tourists have been banned from many countries since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but they continue to arrive in large numbers in India, especially on the coast of Goa.