Bomb threat diverts plane with hundreds of haj pilgrims in Indonesia, second in days
JAKARTA (AFP): A plane carrying hundreds of hajj pilgrims back to Indonesia from the Middle East was diverted Saturday after a bomb threat, the transport ministry and police said, the second such incident in a week.
Saudia Airlines flight SV5688 had flown from the Saudi city of Jeddah to the Omani capital Muscat before travelling on to Indonesia where it was due to land in Surabaya, a city on the main island Java.
But air traffic control officers in the Indonesian capital Jakarta received a call about a bomb threat for the flight, prompting its diversion to Kualanamu International Airport in Medan city Saturday morning, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.
Regional airport authority head Asri Santosa said in a statement officers were checking the plane after its arrival but the airport on Sumatra island remained operational.
All 376 passengers, hajj pilgrims from Java, and 13 crew members were safe at the airport, North Sumatra police spokesman Ferry Walintukan told AFP.
He said a bomb squad was deployed to sweep the aircraft.
The passengers are due to resume their journey on Sunday, said Asri.
On Tuesday a plane carrying 442 hajj pilgrims back from Saudi Arabia to Jakarta was also diverted to Medan after an email bomb threat was sent to authorities. - AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
It's too hot in Rome, so tourists are exploring at night, underground
People taking pictures in front of the Colosseum in central Rome at night. – FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP It was already 30°C at 9.30am as New Zealander Olivia Ansari waited with other tourists outside Rome's Catacombs of Saint Callixtus, seeking relief underground from the punishing summer heat in Italy. At a refreshing 15°C, the catacombs were a popular place to hide of late as temperatures in the Eternal City reached almost 40°C, while other visitors sought out evening tours and 2am walks. "If we could have postponed our trip, we would have done it, but everything was already booked," said Ansari, 32, visiting Italy with her mother and an aunt. Instead, they adapted. "We booked our earliest tour starting at 7.30am, and aim to be home before midday," she said, taking refuge on a shaded stone bench near the Appian Way next to her aunt, who appeared overwhelmed by the heat. They do not venture out again before 4pm or 5pm, and, as in many Mediterranean countries, they pushed back their dinner time by three hours to 9pm. In central Rome, Rafael Falcao also headed underground, to the Crypt of the Capuchin Friars on the via Veneto, which he found relatively cool. He too, had to change his plans as a heatwave punishing southern Europe pushed up Rome's already high August temperatures. "Yesterday, we rented a small car to visit the city because it was too hot to walk," the 42-year-old Brazilian said. Patricia Kolodziej, a 41-year-old Polish woman living in Britain, said she struggled to find things to do with her toddler in the heat. But she managed to get tickets for the last entry to the Colosseum, the ancient Roman amphitheatre that's a must-see for tourists – but which can be a furnace during the day. "We have chosen more sightseeing in the evening," Kolodziej said. A few steps away, under the shadow of the Colosseum, an Asian tourist who declined to give her name, seemed close to fainting, her forehead sweating. "We came late on purpose, but it's no use," she said. Online travel portal predicted last October that "noctourism" – nighttime tourism – will be one of the trends of 2025. It blamed rising temperatures due to climate change, as well as overtourism. Several Rome sites offer evening activities, including the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum which opens late at night twice a week. Tickets quickly disappear but Madison Thibert, from the US state of North Dakota, secured one, allowing her to enjoy the sight of the ancient monument bathed in moonlight. Thibert said she and her boyfriend had been exploring the city after hours, when temperatures reduce, and so do the crowds. "We just walked around, we saw the Trevi Fountain, came by the Colosseum. We took some of the scooters around on the roads," Thibert said. "It was a lot cooler," she noted, and, "nobody was out. It was perfect." – AFP
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Malay Mail
When Rome sizzles, tourists go underground and after dark
ROME, Aug 17 — It was already 30C at 9:30am as New Zealander Olivia Ansari waited with other tourists outside Rome's Catacombs of Saint Callixtus, seeking relief underground from the punishing summer heat. At a refreshing 15C, the catacombs were a popular place to hide this week as temperatures in the Eternal City reached almost 40C, while other visitors sought out evening tours and 2am walks. 'If we could have postponed our trip, we would have done it, but everything was already booked,' said Ansari, 32, visiting Italy with her mother and an aunt. Instead, they adapted. 'We booked our earliest tour starting at 7:30am, and aim to be home before midday,' she told AFP, taking refuge on a shaded stone bench near the Appian Way next to her aunt, who appeared overwhelmed by the heat. They do not venture out again before 4pm or 5pm, and, as in many Mediterranean countries, they pushed back their dinner time by three hours to 9pm. People sit in front of the Colosseum in central Rome August 13, 2025. — AFP pic In central Rome, Rafael Falcao also headed underground, to the Crypt of the Capuchin Friars on the Via Veneto, which he found relatively cool. He too, had to change his plans as a heatwave punishing southern Europe pushed up Rome's already high August temperatures. 'Yesterday, we rented a small car to visit the city because it was too hot to walk,' the 42-year-old Brazilian said. Patricia Kolodziej, a 41-year-old Polish woman living in Britain, said she struggled to find things to do with her toddler in the heat. But she managed to get tickets for the last entry to the Colosseum, the ancient Roman amphitheatre that's a must-see for tourists — but which can be a furnace during the day. 'We have chosen more sightseeing in the evening,' Kolodziej told AFP. A few steps away, under the shadow of the Colosseum, an Asian tourist who declined to give her name, seemed close to fainting, her forehead sweating. 'We came late on purpose, but it's no use,' she said. People walk in front of the Colosseum in central Rome August 13, 2025. — AFP pic Nobody out Online travel portal predicted last October that 'noctourism' — nighttime tourism — will be one of the trends of 2025. It blamed rising temperatures due to climate change, as well as overtourism. Several Rome sites offer evening activities, including the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum which opens late at night twice a week. Tickets quickly disappear but Madison Thibert, from the US state of North Dakota, secured one, allowing her to enjoy the sight of the ancient monument bathed in moonlight. Thibert said she and her boyfriend had been exploring the city after hours, when temperatures reduce, and so do the crowds. 'We just walked around, we saw the Trevi Fountain, came by the Colosseum. We took some of the scooters around on the roads,' Thibert said. 'It was a lot cooler,' she noted, and, 'nobody was out. It was perfect.' — AFP
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Romans turn to vintage snow cones to stay cool amid heatwaves
Forget ice cream or gelato, 'Grattachecca' is what Italians prefer for cooling off. Forget ice cream, sorbet or even the beloved Italian gelato – when Romans swelter in a heatwave, they turn to the traditional "grattachecca". It may be difficult for non-Italians to pronounce – think "gratta-kekka" – but the Roman-style shaved ice is colourful, cheap and refreshing like no other. In an turn-of-the-century kiosk near the Tiber River, Massimo Crescenzi, 72, was in constant motion one recent weekday in front of a patiently waiting line of clients, whose numbers rarely flag with 37°C temperatures scorching the capital. His wife Rosanna Mariani was behind the scenes at the "Golden Fountain" as the business is named, pulling large blocks of ice out of a freezer, cracking them with a pick into small chunks, and feeding them into a machine. Customers eat a 'Grattachecca' to cool off in Rome as heatwave hits Italy. — Photos: AFP Her husband then poured the crushed ice into a glass, adding fresh fruit and colourful syrups, according to each customer's preferences. He cautioned that the treat loved by generations of Romans was not Sicilian granita – in which water is combined with fruit and sugar from the outset and frozen together. A debate lingers in Rome over the merits of using the more hygienic machine, which is Crescenzi's choice, or the old-fashioned way of shaving the ice by hand. Customers queue to order a 'Grattachecca' at a kiosk in Rome on August 12, 2025. Italy is facing extreme heat until mid-August as temperatures above 40 degrees centigrade is gripping the entire country at least until the August 15th bank holiday weekend. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP) "It's delicious! Especially on such a hot day, it's very refreshing," said Andrea Alvarado, a 55-year-old Californian, who opted for the exotically flavoured tamarind, mint and black cherry grattachecca on offer. While on vacation in Rome, she learned about the four-euro treat on social media: a modern way to discover an old tradition. With increasingly frequent heatwaves in Rome, demand is growing, the owners said, with various kiosks across the city offering the frozen desserts. "The season used to begin in June through September. Now, we're May to October and probably in the next few years it will be even longer," Crescenzi said. Customers eat a 'Grattachecca', or snow cones in Rome. Four generations Boasting that theirs is "the oldest kiosk in Rome", Mariani showed off black-and-white photos taken in 1913 of the family business. "It's a kiosk that was opened by my grandfather 112 years ago," said Crescenzi. That means the business has so far lasted four generations, now that his youngest son helps him during the summer rush. Sitting in the shade, US tourist Victoria Kiser was enjoying her treat: "There's a reason it's been in business since 1913," she agreed. Crescenzi knows the history of grattachecca like the back of his hand. Back in the day, "ice came from the Abruzzo mountains and was transported to Rome by carts," he said. Those were the days before factories began to produce ice, making things more efficient. The season for this icy treat used to be from June to Sep, but now it's from May to Oct. The treat's name probably derives from the story of a nobleman whose servants would prepare food and drink for him, he said. "When he went to ask for a very refreshing drink, one with ice, he had around him various people including the famous Francesca, whose diminutive in Roman dialect is 'checca'." Grattachecca was born. French tourist Fabien Torcol was enjoying a coconut-lemon grattachecca. He said he loved the dessert, but... "It's not easy to pronounce," he laughed. – AFP
