Most of the passengers and crew who were on board a hijacked Egyptian plane diverted to Cyprus have been freed.

EgyptAir Flight MS181 was taken over after a passenger claimed to be wearing a suicide explosive belt.

Cypriot officials have named him as Seif Eldin Mustafa. Reports say he wants to talk to his estranged wife in Cyprus, and the Cypriot president says the hijack is not a terrorist incident.

But others say he is demanding the release of female prisoners in Egypt.

Egypt's civil aviation minister told a news conference that seven people remained on board the jet.

Sherif Fathy identified them as the pilot, the co-pilot, a female stewardess, a security officer and three passengers whose nationalities he refused to divulge.

He said negotiations with the hijacker - who had made no specific demands - were continuing, and that it was unclear whether the hijacker had taken explosives on board or whether he was bluffing.

An aircraft was being sent to Larnaca to pick up the passengers who had been released, Mr Fathy added.