Passengers flee cruise ship after hantavirus pandemic

WELLINGTON: Groups of passengers and crew members began leaving a cruise ship struck by a hantavirus outbreak on Sunday as authorities launched an international evacuation operation supervised by global health officials.

Passengers aboard the MV Hondius, none of whom were showing symptoms, were transported in military buses to Tenerife airport where government aircraft from their respective countries waited to fly them home. Spanish officials said strict precautions were being followed to ensure evacuees had no contact with the public.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a 42-day quarantine for all passengers starting Sunday, following confirmation of multiple infections linked to the ship.

Flights carrying Spanish and French nationals had already departed by midday, while evacuations for citizens of Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Ireland and the United States were scheduled next. Dutch aircraft were also expected to transport passengers from Germany, Belgium and Greece.

Australian authorities were preparing a separate evacuation flight due to arrive Monday, carrying Australian citizens along with passengers from New Zealand and several Asian countries.

The outbreak was first detected on May 2 after South African health officials tested a British passenger who had been placed in intensive care. Three former passengers, including a Dutch couple and a German national, have died, while several others remain hospitalized in South Africa, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Health officials believe the first infection may have occurred before boarding the ship, possibly during travel in Argentina or Chile, where hantavirus is known to circulate. Experts suspect the virus later spread among passengers onboard.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Tenerife to oversee evacuation and testing efforts alongside Spanish health authorities.

Despite the outbreak, Spanish officials stressed that the overall risk to the public remains low. Authorities also confirmed that no rodents, the most common carriers of hantavirus, had been found on the vessel.

Passengers will remain onboard until their designated evacuation flights arrive, while 30 crew members are expected to stay with the ship as it sails to the Netherlands for full disinfection procedures.