An Emirates plane that landed at John F. Kennedy airport Wednesday morning has been quarantined on the runway after at least 100 passengers reported feeling ill while on board the flight NBC New York reports.
Police say Emirates flight 203 was headed for New York when about 100 passengers of the 500 on board reported feeling sick. Port Authority police and officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention met the flight when it landed at JFK Wednesday morning around 9:10 a.m.
A passenger on board the aircraft tweeted an image of emergency response crews waiting outside the plane on the runway. Larry Coben said passengers have been told that there were several people on board who had become sick during the flight, but that he had not seen any sick people himself.
The pilot told air traffic controllers that dozens of passengers were complaining of having a high fever, over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and with several more coughing. Ten passengers were taken to the hospital according to Eric Phillips, a spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Nine other people who reported feeling sick refused medical attention.
Health officials say they aren't sure what prompted passengers to get sick, but several of the passengers' symptoms pointed to the flu.
The CDC has also asked passengers to fill out a form with their medical history, Coben wrote, posting an image of the form to Twitter. CDC officials are on board the aircraft taking passengers' temperatures, he said.
Photo: Larry Coben