An Air France passenger jet flying from Mauritius to Paris has made an emergency landing in Kenya after an alleged explosive device was found on board. Kenya’s airports authority is referring to the device as a “bomb,” saying two “suspicious” passengers from the flight are being investigated.
Kenya Airports Authority said that experts have discovered a bomb inside Air France plane.
“The explosive was carried away to a safe place outside the airport. Bomb experts from the Kenya Navy took the bomb away to safety,” the authority said on Facebook.
The security is checking two passengers “who appear suspicious,” it said.
The Boeing 777 Air France flight 463 was carrying 459 passengers and 14 crew on board, police spokesman Charles Owino said.
The plane was flying to Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport when it was forced to land in the Moi International Airport in the Kenyan city of Mombasa.
According to Owino, all the passengers and crew members have been safely evacuated. He added that bomb experts are currently investigating the device that was found in the bathroom.
“The pilots requested an emergency landing when a device suspected to be an explosive was discovered in the lavatory,” Owino said.
Air France said in a statement that the passengers and crew “are [being] taken care of by Mombasa’s airport ground staff and will be accommodated.”
“An investigation is being led by the authorities to identify the source of the threat…This Mombasa-Paris flight is scheduled to leave in the late afternoon of Sunday, December 20,” the statement added.
RT News
Mauritius-Paris flight of Air France diverts to Mombasa over bomb threat
