Overall 65 passengers have been released from a hijacked plane that made an emergency landing in Malta, Times of Malta reported.

Earlier Prime Minister of Malta Josef Muscat said the first group of passengers consisting of women and children has been released.

The Libyan Afriqiyah Airbus A320 has been hijacked while making an internal flight from Sebha to Tripoli. The plane with 118 passengers on board was diverted to Malta airport. Two hijackers who claimed to have a hand grenade and threatened to blow up the plane, but their demands are unclear.