Zelaya's jet blocked in Honduras

Honduran troops fire tear gas at Zelaya supporters

Honduras's ousted President, Manuel Zelaya, has been forced to divert his homecoming jet to Nicaragua after it was barred from landing in Tegucigalpa.

At least one person was killed as troops tried to prevent thousands of Zelaya supporters converging on the international airport.

The self-declared interim government had refused to allow the jet to land.

Regional leaders have backed Mr Zelaya since his ouster just over a week ago and he tried to fly back from the US.


We're the people and we're going to keep marching so that our president comes home
Karin Antunez
Zelaya supporter

After several failed attempts to land at Tegucigalpa airport, the plane diverted and eventually touched down at Managua airport.

"Faced with this situation, we have to go on with what we had planned, which is a meeting with the other presidents in the region," Mr Zelaya told the Caracas-based Telesur news channel from the plane.

The presidents of Argentina, Ecuador and Paraguay and the head of the Organization of American States (OAS) are due to meet him in El Salvador.

The new government, which said it came to power through due legal process, is offering to negotiate with the international community, the BBC's Stephen Gibbs reports from Tegucigalpa.

But it says one thing is not negotiable and that is the return of Mr Zelaya to the presidency, our correspondent says.

'Shot dead'

As the plane was flying towards Tegicugalpa, troops in riot gear fired tear gas at thousands of Zelaya supporters, some of whom reportedly hurled stones.


CRISIS TIMELINE
President Zelaya planned non-binding public consultation on constitutional change
Critics say he wanted to stay in power
28 June: Troops seize and expel Zelaya; parliamentary speaker becomes interim leader
29 June: US President Obama condemns the overthrow as illegal
4 July: Organization of American States suspends Honduras in protest at overthrow
5 July: Mr Zelaya's jet is turned back from Honduras and clashes with troops leave at least one person dead

Profile: Manuel Zelaya
Q&A: Crisis in Honduras
Send us your comments

Thousands managed to break through the security cordon.

Hospital sources and police said at least one person had been killed and a number had been injured.

An Associated Press photographer at the scene said a man had been shot in the head by gunfire from inside the airport.

News agency photos show two bodies in the crowd, both of which are said to be dead.

After Mr Zelaya's plane was turned away, his supporters began chanting "We want blue helmets!", meaning UN peacekeepers.

Zelaya supporter Karin Antunez, 27, was in tears.

"We feel sad because these coup soldiers won't let Mel [Mr Zelaya's nickname] return, but we're not going to back down," she said.

"We're going to keep marching so that our president comes home."

It is being reported that the government has extended its curfew by three hours, bringing it forward to 1900 local time (0100 GMT).

OAS acts

Speaking earlier from the plane, Mr Zelaya said troops loyal to the interim authorities in Honduras had blocked the runway at Tegucigalpa airport and had threatened action against the aircraft if it tried to land.
Ousted President Manuel Zelaya, pictured on 2 July
Manuel Zelaya says he remains the democratically elected leader

He appealed to Honduran troops to take action against the interim authorities, and not against him or his supporters.

The military - backed by Congress and the courts - forced Mr Zelaya out of Honduras on 28 June over his plans to hold a vote on possible constitutional change.

On Saturday, the OAS suspended Honduras - the first time the organisation had taken such a measure since Cuba was suspended in 1962, when it allied itself with the USSR.

Mr Zelaya is a supporter of left-wing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

His opponents, which include the Supreme Court and a majority in parliament, accuse him of seeking to prolong his rule.

He had wanted to hold a popular vote on convening a constitutional convention - a move that could have removed the current one-term limit for presidents.