Chartered plane in Mexico forced to land in LA

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-06 08:58

GUANGZHOU -- The chartered plane sent to pick up Chinese citizens from Mexico landed in Los Angeles Tuesday because of bad weather at its planned destination Tijuana, a border city in northwestern Mexico, the flight operator said.

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The plane had picked up 79 Chinese nationals in Mexico City and was on the way to pick up 20 more in Tijuana. The plane left Guangzhou for the two Mexican cities at 10 pm (1400 GMT) Monday.

The plane landed in Los Angeles at around 9 pm (6 am local time, 1300 GMT), China Southern Airlines said, adding it depends on the weather as to when the plane will leave for Tijuana.

Doctors are monitoring the passengers' health, said the airline.

The flight had a 17-strong crew that have been trained in precautions for flu and dealing with health emergencies.

China sent the flight after an agreement with Mexico, the epicenter of the A/H1N1 flu outbreak, to send chartered flights to each other's countries to bring back nationals.

China suspended direct flights from Mexico to Shanghai from Saturday after a 25-year-old Mexican man, who arrived in Shanghai Thursday aboard flight Aeromexico 098, was later diagnosed with A/H1N1 flu in Hong Kong.

The Mexican became Hong Kong's first confirmed A/H1N1 infection case on Friday.