Report: Flight to London evacuated in Rome

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
An Alitalia flight that was preparing to leave Rome's main airport for London was evacuated Saturday, after officials received an anonymous phone call announcing there was a bomb on the plane, news reports said. The 165 passengers were evacuated and baggage was unloaded, as bomb-squad officers using dogs began checking the plane, news agency ANSA reported. The alert was launched at 1:15 p.m. (1115GMT), just 20 minutes before the plane was due to leave, and the aircraft was still undergoing checks late Saturday afternoon, ANSA said. Officials at Alitalia and at Rome's Fiumicino airport said they were still investigating the incident and could not immediately confirm the report.