Sudan: Plane hijacked in southern Darfur (AP)
By MOHAMED OSMAN, Associated Press Writer 27 minutes ago
KHARTOUM, Sudan - A man holding a knife hijacked a plane, carrying more than 100 people Tuesday in Sudan's troubled Darfur region, a security official said.
The passenger plane was seized soon after taking off from Nyala, the capital of southern Darfur, on route to Khartoum, and was diverted to Libya, said the official, speaking from Nyala airport.
Libyan aviation officials confirmed that the plane landed in Kufra, in a southern desert area close to the Sudanese border. Authorities were en route to the remote town, a civil aviation official said. The Libyan and Sudanese officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they was not authorized to talk to media.
The Sudanese official said the aircraft belongs to a private company, Sun Air, and was carrying 94 passengers — a mix of civilians and local Darfur officials — plus crew members.
Sudanese passenger plane was hijacked between the town of Nyala in Darfur and has landed in Libya, the Arabic satellite TV channel Al Jazeera said on Tuesday. (Graphics/Reuters)" class="newsimage" />