Virgin: No human waste leaked on flight

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Airline Virgin Australia is disputing passenger accounts of human waste flowing into the aisles during an aborted flight, saying the leak was sink water only.

The flight from Los Angeles to Sydney turned around after traveling for about three hours early Tuesday and passengers were told there was a problem with the "fresh water overflow system."

Passengers said there was vomit and human waste in the water flowing through the aisles and they were offered face masks by members of the crew.

Virgin said the problem was with the airplane's sink and passengers were not exposed to human waste. "The onboard toilets operate on a completely separate drainage system. As the issue was with the aircraft sink, and not the toilets, there was no incident of leaked human waste," a company spokesman told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Officials said the passengers were put up in hotels for the night while the airline worked to find room on other flights.