Ebola panic sparks mid-air emergency on flight from Paris to Detroit | World | News
An Air France flight was diverted due to Ebola concerns (Image: Getty)
The flight was diverted following a mid-air emergency due to concerns that a passenger on board might have been exposed to the Ebola virus.
After the scare, the plane from Paris to the USA landed in Montreal.
An Air France passenger was ‘inadvertently’ allowed to board flight 378 in Paris after recently visiting East Africa, which is currently dealing with the virus, according to US Customs and Border Protection.
CBP said: “Due to entry restrictions implemented to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus, the passenger should not have boarded the aircraft.
“CBP took decisive action and prohibited the aircraft carrying the passenger from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and was instead diverted to Montreal, Canada.”
It is not yet known whether the passengers showed any symptoms.
A flight tracker showed the plane landed in Montreal at 5:15 p.m.
From there, the passenger is believed to have been escorted off the plane before continuing on to Detroit and landing at 8 p.m.
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CDS and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced a 30-day travel ban for non-U.S. passport holders from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda on May 18.
Screening has also been initiated for all passengers departing from airports in these countries or visiting them in the last 21 days.
Air France confirmed that a Congolese passenger on the flight was denied entry to the United States.
According to an Air France source in Paris, flight attendants immediately put on masks when they notice a passenger, as per protocol.
“According to the new regulations, passengers from certain countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, can only enter the United States through Washington (IAD) Airport,” the statement said.
“There was no medical emergency on board and, like all airlines, Air France is required to comply with the entry requirements of the countries it serves.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern due to concerns about the “scale and speed” of the outbreak.
The WHO said on Wednesday that 51 cases had been confirmed in Congo’s northern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu and two cases in Uganda. There are 139 suspicious deaths and approximately 600 suspicious cases.
