Hantavirus Outbreak: 76 Evacuated from Cruise in Tenerife
In a high-stakes, “unprecedented” international operation, Spanish authorities have begun the mass evacuation and repatriation of passengers from a cruise ship struck by a deadly hantavirus outbreak. As of Sunday evening, 76 people have been removed from the MV Hondius after the vessel docked in Tenerife, Canary Islands.
A Global Rescue Effort
The Dutch-flagged ship arrived at the port of Granadilla with 147 people on board. By late Sunday, a series of chartered and military flights had already whisked dozens of passengers to their home countries. The evacuees, clad in full health protection suits and masks, were transported from the port to Tenerife South Airport in military vehicles and taken directly to waiting aircraft on the tarmac.
The evacuations so far include:
- 14 Spaniards, who were flown to a military hospital in Madrid.
- 26 passengers of various nationalities sent to the Netherlands.
- 20 British nationals, along with one German and one Japanese citizen, flown to the United Kingdom.
- 5 French citizens repatriated to Paris.
- Small groups sent to Ireland and Turkey.
Spanish Health Minister Mónica García described the mission as an “operation of unparalleled international scope,” involving coordination between Spain, the Netherlands, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the European Union’s civil protection mechanism.
Deadly Strain Triggers Alert
The international health alert was triggered last weekend as the ship crossed the South Atlantic from Argentina toward Cape Verde. The WHO has confirmed six cases of hantavirus, with two additional infections suspected. Three people have already died from the virus. Notably, none of the confirmed patients remain on board the ship; they were evacuated prior to the vessel’s arrival in Tenerife.
Hantavirus is typically spread by rodents. However, the specific strain identified on the MV Hondius—the Andes hantavirus—is a rare variant capable of person-to-person transmission, necessitating the extreme bio-hazard precautions seen throughout the evacuation.
Final Stages of the Operation
The mission is expected to wrap up Monday afternoon. A specialized “sweep flight” to the Netherlands will pick up any remaining passengers or crew scheduled for departure, while a final flight will carry Australian citizens and other remaining nationalities home.
Once the disembarkation is complete, the ship will be refueled at the port of Granadilla. At least 30 crew members will remain on board to navigate the vessel back to its home port of Rotterdam. As the shipowner is Dutch, the Netherlands is overseeing the logistics to ensure all repatriations are finalized.
Image: Pexels – Yesim G. Ozdemir
