Los Angeles airport incident: Delta plane dumps fuel on school playground

Two elementary schools report noxious fumes and skin irritation as Boeing makes emergency landing at LAX

Firefighters and paramedics treated 17 children and nine adults for minor injuries after a plane dumped fuel on the way to Los Angeles International Airport.

Two elementary schools in Los Angeles and Cudahy, California reported noxious fumes and children suffering from skin irritation, shortly after a Delta Airlines flight made an emergency landing at the airport.

Crews including 70 firefighters and paramedics responded to reports at 93rd Street Elementary and Park Avenue Elementary.

The fire department has confirmed that the substance was jet fuel.

Paramedics didn't transport anyone from the schools to local hospitals. A total of 23 people were treated at the scenes. There also are no evacuation orders in place for the immediate area.

Delta's Shanghai-bound Boeing 777 took off from Los Angeles but returned to the airport after reporting an engine issue.

A company statement doesn't mention that its fuel had landed on an elementary school.

It dumped fuel during its return and landed safely back at LAX. An "emergency fuel release" was intended to reduce the plane's landing weight.

The Los Angeles Unified School District says that the schools immediately called paramedics as children and staff on the playgrounds and outside the classrooms reported being sprayed by or inhaling fumes.