Stones stop rolling

The Rolling Stones have cancelled their concert in Bangkok after a technical snag grounded their crew’s plane in Bombay, their Indian promoter said tonight.

The ageing rockers, with their 150-strong entourage, earlier cancelled what would have been their first concerts in China because of a deadly flu-like disease that has infected at least 2,400 people worldwide and killed at least 100 people, mostly in Asia.

The crew was set to fly from Bombay to the Thai capital of Bangkok today but their aircraft developed a technical problem before they could board, said Indian promoter Dilip Doshi. The band’s crew was staying overnight in Bombay, he said.

“The Bangkok concert stands cancelled,” Doshi said. He added that the band would announce whether a new date had been set.

The band was scheduled to play in Bangkok tomorrow. Organisers had said they expected a near-capacity crowd at the 11,500-seat venue.

A senior security official at the Bombay airport confirmed that the flight could not take off due to a technical glitch detected before take-off. It wasn’t clear what the problem was.