? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says seasonal influenza is likely to blame for a scare aboard a plane that landed at Newark Liberty International Airport Monday.

Continental Airlines Flight 98, carrying 272 passengers from Hong Kong, landed in Newark around 2 p.m. after the crew noticed passengers getting ill while in transit. The crew alerted the airline, which notified health officials in Newark.

Continental said seven of the 10 sick passengers were part of a group of 80 tourists who took a river cruise in Asia. They were detained aboard the plane for about two hours while CDC representatives assessed the situation.

The CDC allowed the passengers to get off the plane after determining their symptoms were consistent with the flu. The passengers were expected to continue to their final destination of Montreal, Canada.