A regular flight of Malaysian Airlines made an emergency landing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) last night following reports that there was a bomb or bomb-like object on board, prompting authorities to call in commandos.

With 135 passengers on board, flight MH-196 from Kuala Lumpur landed at 9:38pm, Group Captain AHM Touhid-Ul Ahsan, executive director of the airport, said.

"We didn't find any explosives or bomb-like objects inside the aircraft or inside any passenger's luggage as the search was completed around 1:00am," Touhid-ul Ahsan said at a press briefing.

He said the airport authorities received an information that some passengers might be carrying bomb or bomb-like objects when the plane was in the air.

The cockpit crew were informed of the matter and asked to make an emergency landing. 

After getting the information, a team concerned sat for an emergency meeting and took all precautions, he said.

"We later came to know that the information was not correct," added Touhid. "However, we took all measures as per the standard operating procedure, informed all security agencies, the Army and the Navy commandos, Armed Police Battalion, Rab members and fire fighters," he said.

At first, the aircraft was kept on a taxiway, then cordoned off and searched.

After completing the search -- carry-ons and other luggage -- the aircraft was declared safe by the commanding officer of Bangladesh Air Force.

"The passengers went through a body search and their luggage were thoroughly searched as well," an airport official said.

Witnesses said army bomb disposal units along with a huge number of military commandos and air force personnel were seen at the airport while five fire engines, ambulances and members of Rapid Action Battalion, armed police were there too.

Dewan Azad Hossain, duty officer, fire service control room, told The Daily Star that they received a phone from Air Traffic Control, HSIA around 9:00pm that an aircraft on the way to the Dhaka might have a bomb on board.

The ATC officials requested the control room to send fire engines to the airport, he said.

The aircraft was later taken to Bangabandhu Base of Bangladesh Air Force on the west side.

After suspension of flight operation for around three and a half hours, normal operations at HSIA resumed around 12:45am, sources at the airport, said.