Forced landing of a Russian plane in India after a bomb alert on board

A Russian Azure Air plane with 244 people on board landed at a military base in India due to a bomb alert, authorities said today.

The plane from Moscow to Goa in south-west India with 236 passengers and eight crew members on board landed at Jamnagar base in Gujarat yesterday.

Local media reported that the flight was diverted after Azure Air received an email notifying them of a bomb on board.

The Russian Embassy in India said the Indian authorities had informed them of the matter.

And the Russian embassy wrote in a tweet this morning: “All people on board (the plane) are safe. Authorities are conducting a thorough search of the aircraft.”

State police told AFP that the anti-terrorist unit searched the plane and passengers’ luggage while they waited at the airport.

“Nothing suspicious has been found so far,” a police officer from Jamnagar Premsukho Dollo told AFP.