Obviously this is just 'breaking news' More info will become available in time.
Chemical alert as six passengers faint on transatlantic flight to Heathrow - Telegraph
Chemical alert as six passengers faint on transatlantic flight to Heathrow
More than 200 passengers were at the centre of an fumes alert at London's Heathrow airport after at least six "fainted" during a transatlantic British Airways flight.
By Julie Henry
Published: 11:54AM GMT 31 Oct 2009
The British Airways flight landed at Heathrow Terminal 5 Photo: AP
The Boeing 777 was ordered to a remote part of the airfield after landing early this morning, where it was met by 11 fire appliances and six ambulances.
The drama began as the British Airways flight BA184 from Newark, New Jersey, landed at Heathrow's Terminal 5 at about 6.50am.
- The crew of the flight deck had radioed ahead to warn that six passengers had fainted, amid fears that they could have inhaled some type of poisonous chemical or been struck by a mystery bug.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus boarded the plane and spent almost two hours checking for any sign of a chemical or fumes which might have caused the passengers' illness.
After the all-clear was given, ambulance crews were allowed aboard and treated the passengers, who reported feeling "light-headed" and "faint" during the flight. None required hospital treatment.
All 216 passengers, who were kept on board while firefighters checked the plane, were later allowed to disembark.
A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said: "We were called at 6.41am to reports a number of people had been taken ill on a passenger aircraft. As a precaution we ran some tests on the aircraft to ensure there were no dangerous substances but they came back negative."
The spokeswoman confirmed the Boeing 777 aircraft had 216 passengers and 14 crew on board.
A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said: "We were called just after 6am to Terminal 5 to six patients taken unwell on a plane.
"Six patients were taken to a health centre in the grounds of the airport. We assessed them and nobody needed hospital treatment. They were taken unwell on the flight and the cause of that is under investigation.
"We were discharged from the scene at 10.10am."
"The cabin area and flight deck were declared safe using equipment and by crews wearing gas-type suits," she said.
Police were also called to the scene but a spokesman said the incident was "not suspicious".