Cuban hijack plane takes off again

A Cuban plane hijacked by a man who said he had two grenades today took again from a Havana airport after a night of tense negotiations.

About half the 46 people on board had earlier left the aircraft, and a group including a woman carrying a small child were seen jumping from the open back hatch of the plane into the arms of emergency workers below.

But within hours the Soviet-made AN-24 biplane took off from Jose Marti International Airport for an unknown destination, apparently with the hijacker still on board.

Moments earlier, two white cars had driven onto the tarmac and a man from one of the vehicles handed three large plastic bags to someone in the plane. It was not clear what was in the bags.

The hijacking drama had started late yesterday when a man claiming to be armed with grenades demanded to be flown to Florida.

The Cuban Airlines plane was on a flight from Cuba’s small Isle of Youth to Havana, but was forced to land in the capital because it lacked sufficient fuel to make it to the US, officials said.

The plane spent the night on a tarmac at Havana airport and shortly after daybreak, a tank with a hose was rolled out onto the tarmac and appeared to be refuelling the aircraft.

The plane was surrounded by dozens of uniformed police officers, and two fire trucks and numerous ambulances were parked nearby.