Qantas flight: Flight from hell as 26 passengers fall ill from gastro on 13 hour journey from Santiago to Sydney... and there were only eight toilets The passengers, a tour group of Australian teenagers and their teachers, were on Qantas flight QF28 when they became violently ill just after take off The students, who were vomitting and had diarrhea had to fight for the eight toilets aboard the Boeing 747 The plane was met by a fleet of ambulances and 16 people were taken to hospital, three of which needed to be stretchered from the aircraft Qantas says the group contracted the illness before getting on the plane Twenty-six passengers were struck down with gastroenteritis 30,000 feet in the air today, turning an already arduous 13 hour and 51 minute flight into a trip from hell. The passengers, a tour group of Australian teenagers and their teachers, were on Qantas flight QF28 from Santiago, Chile to Sydney when they became violently ill just a few hours after take off. 'It just gradually wore through them all as the flight wore on, and it was 13 hours so it was a very long flight for them,' fellow passenger Lisa McCormick said after they touched down. Hellish: Twenty-six passengers were struck down with gastroenteritis 30,000 feet in the air today, turning an already arduous 13 hour and 51 minute Qantas flight into a trip from hell (stock photo) 'What a terrible way to end their holiday,' she added to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The students fought over the eight toilets on board the Boeing 747-400 as they suffered mass vomiting and diarrhea. Australian health officials said their symptoms were consistent with the norovirus infection. Madeleine Enwright, a Sydney-based nurse, and two doctors helped to treat the teenagers on the flight. But she said there wasn't a lot they could do. 'We just took their blood pressures to see if they were severely dehydrated,' she told the Australian TV station. Wore through them all: Fellow passenger Lisa McCormick, pictured, said the illness wore through the entire tour group of students Long haul: The flight was traveling from Santiago, Chile, pictured to Sydney, Australia 'The worst that they were was a little bit dehydrated but nothing serious, it's just symptomatic treatment really.' The plane was met by a team of paramedics when it landed at Sydney Airport about 5:15 p.m. local time on Thursday and treated the sick passengers. The aircraft was quarantined and moved to an area at the airport where medical staff could easily assess the patients. The plane was also disinfected to prevent the virus spreading. Some 16 passengers were taken to hospital by ambulance, three of which were so ill they had to be stretchered off the plane. A Qantas spokesman insisted the tour group had picked up the bug before getting on the plane. 'It is believed the illness was contracted before boarding the aircraft and symptoms became evident during the flight,' the spokesman said. Help: Sydney nurse Madeleine Enwright, pictured, helped to treat the teenagers on the flight Medical help: The plane was met by paramedics at the airport in Sydney, pictured The aircraft has been met by medical staff to look after the unwell passengers. As a precaution, other passengers have been advised to keep a close eye on their health over the next 24 to 48 hours and seek medical advice if they become unwell. The group of teenagers were from Melbourne and nearby Sale, a country town in the Australian state of Victoria. They were all part of the same tour returning to Australia after celebrating World Youth Day last month in Brazil, according to Catholic Education Melbourne. Health officials said the sick group, after being assessed by paramedics, were escorted out of the airport 'with minimal exposure to other passengers.'