One of the largest planes in the world flying from Dubai was met by police, ambulances and firetrucks at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday when nearly two dozen passengers and crew members reported feeling ill during the 14-hour flight, officials said. “It was like a symphony of coughing.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention originally reported that as many as 100 people on the flight said they felt ill.

Nearly three hours later Emirates Airline confirmed that 10 of the 549 crew members and passengers — which included rapper Vanilla Ice who recorded the 1990 hit single “Ice Ice Baby” — and crew members were transferred to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, while nine refused treatment. He had already departed JFK Airport by 4 p.m.

Officials with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement that the A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world, was taken to a location away from the terminal so emergency officials could evaluate the situation. Many passengers had been sent on their ways by 10:45 a.m. EDT, though it took until around noon until all had been evaluated. Passengers being removed and evaluated from Emirates Flight 203 from Dubai at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sept. 5, 2018 after multiple passengers complained of illness.Larry Coben / via Twitter

A spokesperson at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center said in a statement that the 10 ill passengers and crew members were “immediately isolated and evaluated for their symptoms.”

Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the acting commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, said at a news conference that the agency had obtained respiratory samples from the 10 patients.
Emirates Flight 203 from Dubai is quarantined briefly after landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport when 19 passengers were deemed sick and others complained of symptoms.