Hijacked Egyptian plane 'with suspected bomb on board' lands in Cyprus

A hijacked Egyptian plane with a suspected bomb on board has landed at Larnaca airport in Cyprus.

The EgyptAir plane was reportedly taken over by at least one armed man while flying from Alexandria on Egypt's Mediterranean coast to the capital Cairo, the country's civil aviation authority said.

Around 55 people and seven crew are believed to be on board.

EgyptAir confirmed the incident, saying on Twitter: "Our flight MS181 is officially hijacked", and added that a statement would follow.

Cypriot government officials said that after the plane, an Airbus A320, landed at Larnaca airport on Tuesday morning hijackers demanded that police vehicles move away from the aircraft.

One official said it "seems like there's more than one hijacker" on the plane.