The plane, which was flying from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Indonesia's Surabaya Airport, was diverted to the BIA after the two passengers fell ill and made an emergency landing at around 2:45 am today.

However, both passengers were found deceased when the plane landed at the airport, airport authorities said.

Police said the two Indonesian passengers were pronounced dead upon landing and an investigation has been launched.

Following a probe, the remains of the two passengers will be handed over to the Indonesian Embassy in Colombo, police said.