Hijackers try to force aircraft to fly to Venezuela

Bogota: An aircraft had to make an emergency landing at the airport of Santiago Perez Quiroz in Arauca bordering Venezuela, after two hijackers in the plane tried to force the pilots to change its destination, Colombian authorities has said.

According to an official statement released by the Civil Aeronautics, the two hijackers on Thursday tried to make the pilots shut down the radar system and GPS and change the flight itinerary allegedly to Venezuela, Xinhua news agency reported.

The plane under the registration number of HK-5058 belongs to the Saviare company.

“At the moment of the crisis, the pilots made an emergency landing and impacted the aircraft in the front,” the official statement said.

The control tower of the Civil Aeronautics witnessed the emergency landing, immediately activated protocols and requested support from police to bring the situation under control.

The case is currently under investigation by Colombian authorities.

IANS