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High-flying hoax: Plane bound for Sinai resort forced to land in Odessa over bomb scare

No explosive devices were eventually found by the experts

© Sergei Bobylev/TASS

KIEV, May 17. /TASS/. A passenger plane from Ukraine’s Windrose Airline destined for Sharm El Sheikh from Kiev had to make an emergency landing at the Black Sea airport of Odessa over an anonymous call about a bomb aboard the aircraft, spokesman for the Ukrainian national police Yaroslav Trakalo said on Friday.

"At about 05:00 hours, the Malinovsky district police station in Odessa received a notice from Ukraerorukh [Ukraine’s state air traffic authority] that a plane bound for Sharm el Sheikh from Borispol [airport] landed at Odessa’s airport due to a bomb threat message," Trakalo told Ukrainskaya Pravda publication.

The airliner had to make an emergency landing due to an anonymous call about an alleged bomb aboard the plane, he said.

"Bomb technicians and K-9 specialists rushed to the scene. They inspected the plane and found no explosive devices," the police spokesman said.

Following the inspection, the plane took off and continued its flight to Egypt, the Odessa-based publication Dumskaya reported.

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