India, April 18 -- A knife-wielding US citizen was shot dead by co-passenger after he attempted to hijack a Tropic Air plane in Belize on Thursday, media reports said.

A state of emergency was declared at the Philip SW Goldson International Airport after Akinyela Sawa Taylor, 49, began attacking people inside the San Pedro-bound flight at 8:30 a.m, the New York Post reported.

During the incident, the Cessna Caravan V3HIG was circling the airport in random directions before landing at the airport at 10:12 a.m., officials told New York Post.

There were rising concerns since the aircraft was running out of fuel when it was circling above the airport.

After the aircraft landed, police and security personnel rushed to the spot to help the ...