Crew members held hostage on plane at Jamaican airport

[Phillippe M]

Crew members held hostage on plane at Jamaican airport
From correspondents in Kingston, Jamaica - Agence France-Presse - April 20, 2009 06:39pm

A LONE gunman is holding the crew of a Canadian plane hostage after seizing the jet with nearly 180 passengers on board following its landing in Jamaica.

All passengers have been released unharmed, but five crew members were still being held inside the plane at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, CanJet and officials said.

Jamaican Information Minister Daryl Vaz said two crew members have been released but five were still being held. No one was injured, he added.

"It's likely that two of the crew members may be locked up in the cockpit," Mr Vaz told CNN.

"A full security operation is underway and CanJet is cooperating fully with the local authorities," the company said.

"Our understanding is that no harm has come to anyone remaining on board and no there has been no damage to the aircraft."

Reports reaching AFP said that at approximately 11:30 pm Sunday local time (2.30pm Monday AEST), a man made his way into the chartered Flight 918 after entering the airport through a staff entrance with the help of fake identification cards.

No official report was immediately available from Jamaican authorities, but staff members described the man as Latino-looking, who was wearing a pair of short pants and a black long-sleeve shirt.

A large contingent of police and army personnel cordoned off the airport, but officials were not willing to make any immediate comment.

Meanwhile, CNN television reported police were negotiating with the hostage-taker.

A passenger, Brenda Grenier, called her husband and said a man apparently had snuck aboard the plane and had taken hostages, the network reported.

Mrs Grenier and her daughter were safe, her husband told CNN from his home in Nova Scotia, Canada.

CanJet said that its priority was the "well-being of the passengers and crew who were involved in the incident."

CanJet Airlines Flight 918 was being operated for Transat Tours Canada.

http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/...014090,00.html