A China Eastern Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Alaska, after a passenger fell ill mid-flight. But the plane had to dump 30 tons of fuel in order to land safely. Jiang Shaoyi has more.

On Friday, China Eastern Airlines' flight 587, en route from Shanghai to New York, made an emergency landing at the Anchorage airport in Alaska.

According to the cabin crew, a 60-year old Chinese woman complained of whole-body tingling, accompanied by breathing difficulties. The passenger was immediately transferred to business class to lie flat. Two medical workers on the plane volunteered their services, after hearing an announcement asking for help. But 3 hours later, the sick passenger had symptoms including stiff muscles and twitching. After assessing the situation, the plane's captain decided to land halfway through the flight in Anchorage. But the plane was over the maximum weight to land. It had to dump 30 tons of gasoline to ensure a safe landing.

The next day, many Chinese netizens commented on social media platforms about the incident. One netizen wrote: "Life is the most important thing. I give a thumbs up to the whole cabin crew." Others were confused about why the plane had to dump gasoline. The flight's captain explains.

GU JIAN FLIGHT MU587 CAPTAIN "The aircraft's weight was 282 tons, far more than the maximum landing weight when the sick passenger needed medical attention. For safety reasons, the plane had to descend and dump gasoline at the same time. After we got permission from the air traffic controller, we landed at the Anchorage airport, and the rescuers came immediately."

Later, the flight refuelled and departed from Anchorage. After six hours, it arrived in New York, safely. The sick passenger has reportedly been discharged from the hospital. CGTN.