Irish person onboard plane hijacked and forced to land in Cyprus airport

An Egypt Air passenger plane heading from Alexandria to Cairo has been hijacked and forced to land in Cyprus at Larnaca airport, civil aviation sources and police said.

One man was thought to be armed, according to Cyprus state radio.

The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation reported that 55 people were on board the Airbus 320, with a crew of seven.

A passenger with an Irish passport is also believed to be onboard the aircraft but no further details are available.

Armed police and special forces teams have erected a security cordon around the plane.