(Image source from: The Independent)

Hawaiian Airlines, the largest airline in the United States said a can of pepper spray went off inside a plane headed from Oakland, California, to Maui, requiring emergency help for several people onboard.

Airline spokesman Alex Da Silva says 12 passengers and three flight attendants were treated for respiratory issues and released Friday.

He says in a statement that a passenger illegally brought the pepper spray on the plane carrying 256 passengers and 10 crew members but that it appears the release was accidental.

According to Hawaii Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Sakahara, about 30 people complained of being affected by the irritant, but no one was taken to the hospital. The airline says the flight was delayed earlier Friday after an adolescent in Oakland sent a photo depicting a fake crime scene to cell phones of other passengers.

By Sowmya Sangam