A woman passenger was killed and dozens were injured on Thursday in a stampede to evacuate a Saudi Air plane after a bomb threat over the phone at Sri Lanka's main airport, officials said.
The Saudi Air Flight SV 781 destined for Riyadh and Jeddah, carrying more than 400 passengers including 19 crew members, was taxiing on the runway when the pilot received a call from the control tower about a bomb threat, de Silva said.
The plane was brought to a halt, and the emergency doors were opened. Panic-stricken passengers poured out, he said. Six people, including four women, from the Boeing 747 were taken from Colombo airport to the nearby Negombo Base hospital, where one of the women, a Sri Lankan national, succumbed to her injuries, a hospital spokesman said.
"The woman who died is a Sri Lankan national, but we are waiting to inform the family before we release identity details," a hospital spokesman said.
Another 57 passengers from the Jeddah-bound plane sustained minor injuries in the rush to evacuate, but they did not require hospital treatment.
Airport authorities said they had ordered passengers to evacuate the plane after receiving an anonymous bomb threat that turned out to be a hoax.
"We searched the aircraft and found nothing," said an airport security official.
Most of those hurt were trying to leave the aircraft through the emergency exits, the official said.
A security alert was sounded at the airport following the telephoned bomb threat. Authorities said they were trying to trace the caller.
