SIXTEEN Melbourne school students were taken to hospital after becoming violently ill on a Qantas flight from Chile.
The hellish 13-hour trip from Santiago to Sydney on Thursday night saw 26 passengers, who were returning from seeing the Pope at World Youth Day in Brazil, feel the full force of gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhoea.
Three students had to be stretchered from the plane.
Qantas said the group was sick before boarding QF28 and symptoms became evident during the flight.
Catholic Education Melbourne executive director Stephen Elder said some of the World Youth Day pilgrims were being treated at two Sydney hospitals.
"Their families have been notified and we look forward to them returning safely to Melbourne soon," he said.
Teacher John McInerney said most of the group were expected to travel home during the night.
"They've all been assessed by the ambulance officers and majority of them will be returning home on the flights as we had planned," he told 3AW.
"There is just a small number of them that we just want to follow up as a precautionary measure."
The Herald Sun understands the sick students were from several Melbourne schools and were moved next to the toilets at the back of the plane and attended to by nurses and at least one doctor who were passengers.
Ambulances were called just before the flight landed.
Quarantine crews boarded the plane to inspect the interior before it was moved to the terminal.
Scores of family members on the quarantined Qantas flight were left for several hours in the arrivals hall with no official word from the airline over the incident.
Qantas said medical staff met the ill passengers when the Boeing 747-400 arrived at Mascot Airport at 5.27pm.
"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," a statement said.
The NSW Ministry of Health said the group had developed "vomiting and diarrhoea on the plane" consistent with norovirus infection, which is a common cause of outbreaks of gastroenteritis in Australia and elsewhere.
"Ambulance will assess the sick passengers, and if well enough to leave they can be co-horted through the airport with minimal exposure to other passengers," a spokesperson said.
"NSW Health has provided Qantas with a letter and fact sheet about viral gastro to distribute to all departing passengers, as well as advice for cleaning and cabin staff."
More than three million people attended World Youth Day in Rio between July 23 and 28.
- with Ian Walker and Simon Black
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