Jet with 7 congressmen has emergency

NEW ORLEANS, July 22 (UPI) -- A Continental Airlines jetliner carrying seven Texas congressmen among its 188 passengers made an emergency stop in New Orleans Tuesday, officials said.

The flight was en route from Houston to Washington when a loss of cabin pressure prompted the crew to make the unexpected stop at New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International Airport, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported.

Continental spokeswomen said no one was injured in the afternoon incident involving Flight 458 and the passengers were being placed on other flights.

The aircraft made a "sharp dive" and landed after the drop in pressure inside caused oxygen masks to drop from the cabin's ceiling panels, KPRC-TV in Houston reported. New Orleans was the nearest airport.

The congressmen on board were Ted Poe, John Carter and Ron Paul, Nick Lampson, Ciro Rodriguez, Solomon Ortiz and Henry Cuellar, KHOU-TV in Houston reported.

"We didn't even know it was an emergency until we heard about it on CNN," said Josh Rosenblum, a spokesman for Rodriguez. "The congressman is cool and calm under pressure."