Delta Airlines plane lands in Mumbai with suspicious cargo (1st Lead)

Nov 4, 2010, 20:52 GMT

New Delhi - A Delta Airlines plane landed in Mumbai late Thursday under what were described as emergency conditions after an unidentified object was reported to be in the plane's cargo-hold, Indian media reports said.

The Press Trust of India (PTI) cited an airport spokesman as saying that a 'full emergency was declared at the airport for Delta 70 Amsterdam-Mumbai flight which landed at 11:20 pm (1750 GMT).'

The plane was carrying 244 passengers. After landing at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, the passengers immediately disembarked before the aircraft was taken to an isolated bay at the airport for a thorough search by anti-explosives experts.

PTI said the emergency called for fire and rescue operations at the plane was withdrawn after 28 minutes.

However, an anti-bomb squad continued to search the plane until close to midnight local time, the PTI account said.

Earlier reports said that the tip about the unidentified object was provided by a staff member of Delta in Amsterdam.

The incident comes after parcel bombs sent from Yemen were found in two US-bound planes last week, triggering heightened surveillance conditions in international aviation operations.

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