3 Korean Air passengers screened for coronavirus after Las Vegas-bound flight diverted to LAX

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Korean Air flight bound for Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport, where three passengers who had recently been in China were screened for the coronavirus, officials said.

A spokesperson for the airline said those three passengers on Flight KE005 had stayed in China within 14 days of their departure from South Korea's Incheon International Airport.

"The flight was diverted to LAX following the direction from the airport authority, and those passengers went through the quarantine procedure," Korean Air said in a statement.

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The three passengers, who each have a U.S. passport, got off the plane at LAX and it was confirmed that they did not have any symptoms of the coronavirus.

They and the other Flight KE005 passengers were then cleared to continue on to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, the airline said.

Flight KE005 departed LAX at 3:45 p.m. and was set to arrive at McCarran at 4:52 p.m., a Korean Air representative told Eyewitness News.