NEW YORK _ A jet from Dubai loaded with sick passengers landed at Kennedy Airport as emergency crews rushed to the scene early Wednesday and the plane was quarantined, sources said.
Emirates Flight 203, containing 500 passengers in all, landed just before 9:30 a.m. local time. Sources said 10 people _ seven crew members and three passengers _ were taken to Jamaica Hospital with flu-like symptoms. Another 90 people who might also have taken ill were evaluated on the plane.
"All we have been told is that some passengers have fallen ill and we should remain in our seats," passenger Larry Coben posted to Twitter. Coben shared images of ambulances and police vehicles arriving outside the plane, and the crew leaving the plane while passengers waited in their seats.
FDNY EMS crews, the Port Authority Police and officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention responded to the scene. The Airbus A380 was moved to an area away from a terminal and quarantined, while an investigation continues into what caused the flu-like symptoms _ coughing, fever, nausea _ and how it spread so fast.
"CDC is aware of an Emirates flight arriving at JFK this morning with some passengers who are reporting an unspecified illness," a CDC spokesman said. "CDC is working with local authorities to investigate and will provide additional information when it is available."
The CDC said the plane stopped in Saudi Arabia after departing from Dubai.
ABC reported that the passengers became ill with fevers over 100 degrees and coughing.
"Emirates can confirm that about 10 passengers on EK203 from Dubai to New York were taken ill," the airline wrote on social media. "On arrival, as a precaution, they were attended to by local health authorities. All others will disembark shortly. The safety & care of our customers is our first priority."
The FAA said, "Emirates 203, an Airbus A380, landed safely at John F. Kennedy International Airport at 9:10 a.m. after declaring a medical emergency. The flight originated in Dubai."
Flyer Erin Sykes said some passengers appeared ill even before departing Dubai.
"People were sick before we even took off from Dubai. Like really nasty colds. I asked stewardess for a mask bf we even took off but there were none," she tweeted.
CDC personnel had entered the plane shortly after its arrival and were handing out intake forms, passengers tweeted.
At about 10:40 a.m., Coben posted that he had left the plane and his temperature was being taken.
