1st LD Writethru: Turkish flight makes emergency landing in India amid bomb scare

A Turkish Airlines flight, with 148 passengers on board, Tuesday made an emergency landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the Indian capital, following a bomb threat, a senior aviation official said.

"The plane, which was on its way to Istanbul from Thailand, made the emergency landing after a message written in lipstick on a mirror in the flight's toilet warned of a bomb in the cargo," the official said, on condition of anonymity.

"The pilot told the air traffic controllers about the message when the plane was flying over the western city of Nagpur. The plane was asked to make the emergency landing in Delhi and was taken to isolated bay immediately after it touched the runway."

Elite anti-terror commandos searched the plane after evacuating all passengers and crew members, but failed to find anything suspicious, said the official.

It seemed to be a hoax but a probe has been ordered into the incident, the official said, adding that the passengers of the plane would be questioned in this connection. Endi