More than a dozen passengers from an American Airlines flight from Miami to Boston fell ill during the trip for still unknown reasons.
Upon arriving at their destination on the morning of Sunday, April 21, the 13 sick passengers were taken to the Massachusetts General Hospital by the Boston Emergency Medical Services.
This morning at approximately 9:20am, Boston EMS responded to Logan Airport with multiple units. A total of 13 patients were transported to MGH, all for symptoms that were minor in nature. — Boston EMS (@BOSTON_EMS) April 21, 2019
By 3 p.m. Sunday, five patients have been released from the hospital in good condition, according to CBS Boston. By early evening of the same day, a spokesperson from American Airlines announced that all 13 patients have been released, according to a report from Boston Globe.
Patients Only Suffered Mild Symptoms, But Illness Still Unconfirmed
Massachusetts Port Authority spokeswoman Samantha Decker reveals that the symptoms of the sick passengers appeared to be mild in nature. There is still no information about the reason behind the illnesses. While health officials have not released information regarding the illness that affected the 13 students, emergency personnel have already cleared the American Airlines aircraft.
What Happened During The Flight?
All 13 passengers who fell ill are students who were part of a group of around 40 people traveling on a connecting flight. They were all between the ages of 15 and 17.
Three other passengers reported feeling ill, but were not hospitalized, a report from New York Post reveals.
A source from the group explained to WCVB 5 that before arriving in Miami, the student group traveled to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.
Chaperones reportedly confirmed to American Airlines that all the students in the group consumed the same food on Saturday, April 20, before they departed from Ecuador.
During the flight the students were complaining of symptoms consistent with a stomach virus. One passenger who was on the same flight recalls that the patients were throwing up on the airplane.
No other passengers or airline crew members reported coming down with similar symptoms.
"No other passengers were ill. American requested paramedics to meet the aircraft upon arrival in Boston," American Airlines says in a statement.
While officials have already cleared the aircraft and released the students from the hospital, other passengers have spoken out on social media about their concern.
Wife and I were on that flight. Might be nice to get more information about this other than just “minor symptoms.” Maybe tell us what type of symptoms and illness so we can look out for this? Especially considering we were sitting surrounded by these kids. — Josh (@RobsJoshB) April 21, 2019
