Ten passengers were transported to hospital after a dozen travellers on board a plane at a Quebec City airport reported feeling unwell.
At 10:45 a.m. Thursday, firefighters evacuated the Air Transat plane on the tarmac at Jean Lesage International Airport after passengers experienced various symptoms including itchy eyes, dizziness, and vomiting, airport spokesperson Laurianne Lapierre said during a press conference.
Paramedics looked at all 185 passengers on board Air Transat flight 782 to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and sent 10 to hospital, Lapierre said. A spokesperson for the Quebec City’s CHUQ hospital said the patients were not seriously injured.
Lapierre said the passengers fell ill during the plane’s de-icing before takeoff. It’s believed fumes from the de-icing seeped into the cabin due to an issue with the aircraft’s ventilation system.
Firefighters conducted a reading of the plane’s air quality immediately after the evacuation and found that it was healthy, Lapierre said. The spokesperson said government officials have been brought in to do a more thorough reading.
The unharmed passengers were forced to wait until 6 p.m. for another flight to Fort Lauderdale, a delay of nearly 11 hours.
Lapierre said both the airline and the airport are investigating the matter. Air Transat has not responded to CTV Montreal’s request for comment.
