CAIRO: Everyone on board a hijacked EgyptAir flight diverted to Cyrus on Tuesday has been released except for four crew members and three passengers, Egypt’s civil aviation minister said.
Sherif Fathy told a press conference that the captain, a co-pilot, an air hostess and a security man remained on board, along with the three passengers.
He said there had been 55 passengers on board the plane, which was headed from Alexandria to Cairo, when the hijacker demanded it land in either Turkey or Cyprus.
The aviation ministry had earlier said 81 people were on board. “He had no gun or anything.We don’t know yet whether his (explosives) belt is real but for the safety of passengers we are dealing with it as real,” he said.
A plane will head to Larnaca at 1030 GMT to pick up the released passengers, he said.
