KQ plane lands in Liberia, Sierra Leone with suspected Coronavirus case on board

A Kenya Airways (KQ) plane on Wednesday caused panic after landing in Liberia and Sierra Leone with a suspected Coronavirus case on board.

The flight whose destination was Sierra Leone’s Lungi International Airport first landed in Liberia where a KQ station manager had alerted authorities on the suspected patient.

Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority learnt of the suspected infectee from their Liberia counterparts and proceeded to delay the plane's landing in Freetown.

Kenya Airways (KQ) plane lands in Liberia, Sierra Leone with suspected Coronavirus case on board Captain Daudi Kibati dies of coronavirus, days after flying KQ's last plane from US Pulse Live Kenya

Sierra Leone authorities eventually denied entry to the Japanese national who was displaying symptoms linked to the deadly virus along with three other Japanese nationals aboard the KQ flight.

Passengers refuse to be quarantined

A number of Sierra Leone citizens who were passengers on the KQ plane refused to be quarantined while non-citizens who refused to be quarantined were booked on flights back to their point of origin.

"The rest of the passengers, all of whom are Sierra Leoneans, have been taken to a quarantine facility and are currently being monitored," stated Harold Thomas, the West African nation's Communication Lead at the Directorate of Health Security.

The country is yet to record any confirmed case of the infection but it's immediate neighbour states Liberia and Guinea have reported two and one case respectively.

KQ did not reveal where the four Japanese nationals including the one with symptoms of the infection were finally taken.

Kenya Airways (KQ) plane lands in Liberia, Sierra Leone with suspected Coronavirus case on board Body of stowaway falls from Kenya Airways plane Pulse Live Kenya