OTTAWA, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- A total of 10 passengers were hospitalized after all 185 passengers felt ill on board a plane at a Quebec City airport in Canada Thursday morning, according to local officials.
The passengers experienced various symptoms including itchy eyes, dizziness, and vomiting during the plane's de-icing before takeoff.
Ambulances were called and all passengers on board Air Transat flight 782 to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were seen by paramedics around 11 a.m. local time (1600 GMT) Thursday.
Canadian media CTV reported that five of the passengers were transported to hospitals earlier Thursday, while officials of the CHU de Quebec, which oversees five hospitals in the capital region, announced later that 10 people from the airplane were taken to hospital, without providing additional details on their condition.
Firefighters evacuated the plane on the tarmac at Jean Lesage International Airport. They conducted a reading of the plane's air quality immediately and found that it was healthy.
The airline has launched its own investigation into the incident. A spokesperson of the airport said it's possible there was a ventilation problem in the plane.
