Qantas Passengers May Face SARS Risk

Qantas airline employees are trying to contact 310 passengers who were on a March 30 flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia, after three children on the flight developed symptoms of severe acute respiratory syndrome, the airline told the Associated Press on Saturday.

Qantas began telephoning passengers on flight QF094 to warn them to watch for symptoms of the mysterious and sometimes deadly disease.

Three siblings from Toronto were hospitalized in an isolation ward in Melbourne. Their parents also were being monitored, airline officials said.

Worldwide, more than 80 people have died and more than 2,200 have been sickened by the respiratory illness, known as SARS. Most of the reported cases have been in China and Hong Kong.