Passengers flee from hijack plane !!
BBC News, Europe
Saturday, 18 August 2007
Scores of passengers have managed to escape from a plane which landed in the southern Turkish city of Antalya following a hijack attempt.
The Atlas Jet plane was flying from Northern Cyprus to Istanbul, when two hijackers tried to divert it to Tehran.
But the pilot landed the plane in Antalya, saying it needed to refuel.
Soon after landing, some of the passengers managed to open emergency exits and escape, the BBC's Turkey correspondent Sarah Rainsford reports.
TV pictures showed dozens of passengers running along the wing of the plane then jumping onto the tarmac.
Al-Qaeda claim
At least four people are still on board the plane, as well as two crew members and the two hijackers, she says.
An official from the airline, Atlas Jet, said that there were 136 passengers and six crew on the plane when it left Ercan Airport in Northern Cyprus.
The plane had been two hours into its journey when two men tried to forced their way into the cockpit.
When they did not succeed, the men asked to be flown to Iran, but the plane landed in Antalya.
It is thought the hijackers do not possess weapons, but they appear to have what is thought to be a bomb, Tuncay Doganer, chief executive of Atlas Jet, told Turkish TV.
Passengers told local TV that the hijackers were tall, dark skinned, apparently speaking Arabic and claiming to be from al-Qaeda, a claim which has not been independently confirmed.
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noo i know u were kidding. yea i think bursa is a green city as i know:) and yea one of the first capitals of ottoman empire so u may see lots of remains..
and also like listening peoples comments about my country and our culture(even there is not a specific one:P ) cuz i also like talking about others.. so we can make this a turkey discussion topic:p
I was teasing you! Sorry if it lost something in the translation, I couldn't resist it because what you said was also 'tongue in cheek'. :D
Actually, apart from a couple of holidays in Turkey, my husband worked there for almost a year and I joined him for a while. He was in Bursa. Lovely place.
yea comparing to turkey here it is sad and boring:) and just yesterday i was depressed a lot about istanbul.
but i can live some things i didnt live in turkey. it is different experience here. and i wont live here forever..
and jauntie. turkey was always on map. and it was always important.. even u dont feel:p
You must live a sad and boring life
Yer daft wee thing lmao
Feel like Turkey is on the map now, do you? :P
it is weird to have situations like these after all that checkings etc. but yea they are terrorists..
and it happened in my country. i felt myself someone important now:p
As of 13:03 (same time in Turkey & Qatar) all hostages were free, the hostesses & crew were free and the two hijackers had surrendered to security forces.
There are no reports of any serious injuries; just while escaping some of the passengers fainted and/or cut their hands.
Last Updated: Saturday, 18 August 2007, 10:31 GMT 11:31 UK
Passengers jumped from the plane's exits
Passengers flee plane
Two men who tried to hijack a Turkish plane have surrendered after all 136 passengers and crew escaped unharmed.
The Atlas Jet plane was flying from Northern Cyprus to Istanbul when the two men tried to divert it to Iran.
Instead, the pilot landed the plane in the southern city of Antalya, claiming it needed refuelling.
Northern Cyprus officials said the two men were Iranian nationals protesting against actions of the United States, though this has not been confirmed.
The hijackers announced after the plane landed that women and children could leave.
But when passengers opened emergency exits almost everyone rushed out, the BBC's Turkey correspondent Sarah Rainsford reports.
Many leapt from the wing of the plane to safety.
They spoke of their panic as the hijack began, when, they said, the pilot appeared for a moment to lose control.
Eventually all passengers and crew members were released unharmed and the hijackers surrendered.
The men are not thought to have had guns, though passengers described a suspect package that might have been a bomb.
Officials in northern Cyprus say their security checks are up to international standards and so far they have no reason to believe there were explosives on board.
Thats fine, I'll just charge it. :P With my luck I will probably just hurt myself walking...I am very accident prone. Ohh hope I didnt just jinx myself :D
tra la la
no worries i am makin a deal with jass workin on it am offerin her Red Pope donkey a mean of traveling to States she will be fine. but she is still thinkin about the fair i asked her 100$ per hour :D
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Hey! Flying is safer than driving in Doha - you will be fine.
Oh dear - now I said the wrong thing again, didn't I. You just had a car accident didn't you :/
Sometimes I think the only reason I open my mouth is to put my foot in it lol
I quite forgot you are in Turkey. Much in the news THERE I imagine!
if I had been them, and got caught, the last name I would have associated with mine would have been al-Qaeda !! No accounting for some people's taste in allegiances I guess.
We get over the bird flu crisis, the bombings in Kusadasi and now we get this.
almost the same news but they mentioned this:
"A relative who managed to contact a passenger on his mobile telephone said on Turkey's NTV television that the hijackers were Turkish and had claimed to be members of al-Qaeda"
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/94481CB0-BD01-4F1D-B97D-BD584A9500E0.htm
Cheers!
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"I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone, I never find a companionable solitude"
What does Jazeera say about it - I'm in middle of something here and can't go check.
where is he??? is he on board?? oh my guess i need to go there.
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from the same news site and now check the version of Al Jazeera ;-)
Cheers!
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"I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone, I never find a companionable solitude"
Just what I wanted to read before my flight!!
tra la la
these days.
How come they 'appear to have what is thought to be a bomb'. WTF is all this security about anyway????
This is the link to the article, which has a map showing where in Turkey the plane landed - just across from Cyprus.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6952594.stm