Fed: Passenger tells of fear plane would explode

AAP General News (Australia)
08-18-2006
Fed: Passenger tells of fear plane would explode

A passenger on board a plane at the centre of a bomb scare in Sydney last night says
the response to the scare was chaotic and could have been better organised.

MARK SINGLETON was one of 102 passengers evacuated from the Pacific Blue 737 from Fiji.

He's told Nine's Today show he thought the plane would explode while passengers were
cooped up in a bus on the tarmac.

He says everyone was on the bus facing the plane about 100 metres away .. and people
were using their mobile phones against orders.

He says no one was telling them not to .. and he thought if a bomb was going to be
detonated .. that would be when it was going to happen.

Mr SINGLETON says passengers were given false excuses about why the plane was delayed
on the tarmac when it was clearly surrounded by emergency crews.

And he says instead of being taken off the plane as quickly as possible .. they were
left in their seats for 45 minutes.





The drama unfolded after an anonymous caller warned there was a suspicious package
on the plane .. which landed at Sydney airport from Fiji about 5.45pm (AEST).

NSW Bomb Squad officers scoured the aircraft but declared the bomb scare a hoax about 7.45pm.

AAP RTV cmb/bart

KEYWORD: THREAT PASSENGER (MELBOURNE)

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