The Ryanair flight that was diverted to Minsk on Sunday by Belarus authorities has been allowed to continue on to Lithuania, the European Commission said. "Great news for everyone, especially the families and friends of people on board," transport commissioner Adina Valean tweeted. The commissioner did not say whether all of those who had been aboard the flight had been allowed to depart when it was given the go-ahead to leave. Belarusian opposition activist Roman Protasevich was detained by Belarus authorities when the flight, originally from Athens to Vilnius, was diverted to Minsk. "We need to verify all the facts and passengers on board -- we cannot do this until the arrival in Vilnius," Valean added in a later tweet after criticism of her optimism. "This kind of situation will have consequences," she added. A statement from Minsk airport said the aircraft had had to make an emergency landing following a bomb scare. The airport later confirmed the flight's departure. But European leaders reacted with fury, demanding that Belarus allow all the passengers to leave -- including the detained activist. dc-jug/gd