About 100 passengers fall ill on Emirates flight from Dubai to New York

New Delhi, Sep 5: An Emirates Airbus flight from Dubai has been quarantined at New York's John F Kennedy International Airport after numerous passengers reportedly fell sick during the flight.

Emirates flight 203, a double-deck Airbus A388 carrying about 500 passengers, landed shortly after 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT), according to the reports.

About 100 people complained of feeling sick on Emirates Flight 203, which landed with at least 521 passengers shortly after 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement. Their symptoms included cough and fever.

Earlier, Emirates later issued a statement putting the number at 10.

"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 said all other passengers would be allowed to leave the plane shortly.

According to Eric Phillips, the spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio claimed that the plane made a stop in Mecca. This could have left the passengers exposed to a flu epidemic that is underway in the Saudi Arabian city.

The aircraft was taken to a location away from the terminal so that emergency officials could evaluate the situation, officials from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said they were monitoring the situation and President Donald Trump was being updated as new information became available.