Bomb scare on Cairo plane false alarm

A search of a Cairo-bound Egypt Air plane out of London carrying 251 passengers which made an emergency landing at Athens after a bomb alert found nothing, an airport spokeswoman said on Saturday.

Flight MS778, a Boeing 777-300, had left for Cairo at 1:22 pm (1322 GMT) following an all night search while the passengers were put up at a hotel, the spokeswoman said.

The plane from London Heathrow had landed at 8:39 pm (1839 GMT) Friday at Athens International Airport and was evacuated while security officials searched the aircraft, she said.

The alert came amid violent unrest in Egypt, where clashes between security forces and protestors calling for the end of President Hosni Mubarak's rule have killed dozens.

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