October 16, 2008	Thursday	Shawwal 16, 1429

KARACHI, Oct 15: A bomb threat aboard an airliner en route from the Arabian Gulf to Pakistan forced the pilot to make an emergency landing in Karachi on Wednesday, authorities and airline officials said.

The Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Islamabad had 193 passengers and 14 crew members on board.

The airline said in a statement the flight was diverted to Karachi after a bomb threat written on a note was found in one of the aircraft’s toilets.

Passengers disembarked without incident, while the plane was searched.

“The plane was thoroughly checked by the Airport Security Force and was later cleared. The incident turned out to be a hoax,” a Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said. In a related development, a bank received a hoax call on Wednesday, causing the employees to leave the premises and stand outside as authorities looked for a bomb. —Agencies