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A plane was forced to make an emergency landing because of a herd of farting goats in the cargo hold.

The Singapore Airlines plane was en route from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur with more than 2,000 animals.

But the four crew members on the Boeing 747-400 freighter received a smoke indication in a cargo bay, forcing them to come early to land.

When they checked the issue in Bali Denpasar 45 minutes later, they found no smoke, according to Aviation Herald.

They then reported that the smoke indication was identified to be the result of exhaust gasses and manure produced by the goats.

The plane departed again after about 2.5 hours and reached Kuala Lumpur safely.

An SIA Spokesman said: "On October 26, 2015, a Singapore Airlines Cargo Boeing 747 freighter aircraft carrying a shipment of goats, operating as SQ7108 from Adelaide to Kuala Lumpur diverted to Bali after the crew received a warning from the onboard fire alarm system.

(Image: Getty)

"The aircraft landed at 5.11pm local time and upon inspection, no evidence of fire or smoke was found.

"The aircraft was certified serviceable and departed at 8.20pm local time."

Regarding claims that animal flatulence had caused the landing, SIA said: "It is not able to be confirmed."

The Merck Veterinary Manual says that bloat and associated flatulence is a common problem with ruminants like cattle and sheep and can be brought on by stress.

Bloat can even cause sudden death in the animals.

"Animals suffering from bloat] not observed closely... usually are found dead.

"Mature pastures are less likely to cause bloat than immature or rapidly growing pastures."