Virgin Australia aircraft evacuated after threat

A Virgin Australia plane was evacuated on Tuesday in Australia after the discovery of a threatening note allegedly about the presence of a bomb aboard, local media reported.

Passengers on flight VA114, which took off from Sydney, left the aircraft through emergency exits as soon as the plane landed at Albury airport, where police officers were already present, according to the AAP news agency.

Police in New South Wales, the state in which both cities are, reported that emergency services rushed to the scene after a note was found in the toilet of the turboprop plane, Efe reported. The note suggested that there was a bomb on board.

One of the passengers told AAP that he heard the cabin crew shout "Leave your luggage. Get out and run, run, run."

A Virgin spokesperson, however, attributed the shouting to a passenger caught up in the commotion.

Virgin Australia said in a statement that the plane landed safely and "due to a security incident on board police met the aircraft on arrival".

One of the passengers was taken into custody after landing and transferred to the local police station for questioning.

--IANS

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