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A SpiceJet aircraft with 179 people on board was today grounded after a foreign traveler claimed that there was a bomb inside the plane, forcing authorities to evacuate all the Delhi-bound passengers. However, after a thorough search of the plane, authorities at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu said that it was a hoax.
All the passengers were evacuated after one of them reported that there was a bomb inside the aircraft at the time it was about to take off at 10 am, said an official at the airport's Rescue Coordination Committee.
There were 179 people aboard, including crewmembers in the SG 042 flight, which had landed in Kathmandu from Delhi on Sunday morning.
The plane was isolated and security personnel conducted thorough checking of the aircraft for more than three hours after the bomb threat was reported. The authorities, however, said that nothing was found inside the plane.
The foreign tourist, whose nationality is yet to be established, is being interrogated, the officials said, adding that the aircraft is ready to fly to its destination.