False alarm delays flight in Argentina

The COPA airliner was evacuated on Friday but a search of the plane yielded nothing unusual.

A false bomb scare forced the evacuation of a Panamanian airliner as it readied for take-off at Argentina's main international airport, a security official has said.

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The COPA airliner was evacuated on Friday but a search of the plane yielded nothing unusual, Ministro Pistarini International Airport security chief Marcelo Sain said.

The empty plane was moved to tarmac far from the terminal for inspection by explosives experts, Sain said.

The search turned up no explosives and the plane was allowed to take off.

Flights were delayed last week by the discovery of suspicious luggage at the airport, 35 kilometres outside Buenos Aires.