BREAKING: Moscow-Goa flight diverted to Uzbekistan after bomb threat, says Police

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A Goa-bound chartered flight from Russian capital Moscow with 240 passengers on board was diverted to Uzbekistan in the wee hours of Saturday following a bomb threat, police said.

The flight was scheduled to land at the Dabolim airport in South Goa at 4.15 am, a senior police official said.

The flight (AZV2463) operated by Azur Air was diverted before it entered the Indian air space, he said.

An Azur Air chartered flight from Russia's Perm International Airport to Goa received a security threat. Following this, the flight was diverted to Uzbekistan. A total of 238 passengers, including 2 infants, and 7 crew are onboard: Airport Sources

"It was diverted after an email was received at 12.30 am by the Dabolim airport director that mentioned about a bomb being planted on the plane," the official said.

The incident occurred nearly two weeks after a Moscow-to-Goa flight made an emergency landing at Gujarat's Jamnagar airport following a bomb threat. All the 236 passengers and crew members were evacuated safely and the plane was checked by local authorities along with police and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), Inspector General of Police (Rajkot and Jamnagar Range) Ashok Kumar Yadav said.

During the last week's incident, the Russian embassy official said the embassy was alerted by the Indian authorities about the alleged bomb scare on the Azur Air flight en route from Moscow to Goa. The Goa Police beefed up security in and around the Dabolim airport as a precautionary measure.

All the emergency services are kept on standby at the airport, while senior police officers have held a meeting with the airport officials.

(with inputs from agencies)