A hijacked EgyptAir plane diverted to Cyprus on Tuesday carried 21 foreigners including eight Americans, four Dutch citizens, four Britons and a French citizen, an Egyptian civil aviation ministry statement said.

All passengers except four or five foreigners have been released, a ministry spokesman told AFP. 

The ministry said 81 passengers were on board, while EgyptAir in a statement said there were 55. The reason for the discrepancy was unclear.