Emirates plane quarantined in New York after 10 passengers fall sick

Staff writer

An Emirates flight from Dubai was quarantined at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport on Wednesday after 10 passengers fell ill during the trip, the airline and the New York City mayor's office confirmed.

Emirates Flight 203, an Airbus A388 carrying about 500 passengers, landed at the Queens, NY, hub at 2.10pm UK time, according to an Emirates spokeswoman.

"Emirates can confirm that about 10 passengers on board flight EK203 from Dubai to New York were taken ill," the spokeswoman said. "On arrival at JFK, as a precaution, they were immediately checked by local health authorities and those needing medical attention will be attended to."

She added that all other passengers would be allowed to deplane shortly.

Eric Phillips, a spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio, tweeted that representatives of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were on the scene, adding that the flight had stopped in Mecca, which is currently experiencing a flu outbreak.

Passenger Erin Sykes tweeted a video from inside the aircraft on Wednesday morning, which appears to show panicked passengers being asked to remain in their seats by an Emirates flight attendant.

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