The first plane carrying passengers evacuated from the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius cruise ship has departed Tenerife for a hospital in Madrid. Spanish passengers began arriving on shore on Sunday morning, with nationals from other countries to follow. Follow our live blog for all the latest updates.
The first plane carrying passengers evacuated from the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius cruise ship has departed Tenerife for a hospital in Madrid.
Five French citizens to be repatriated on Sunday
The five French citizens aboard the ship will be repatriated to France “by medical flight today”, the French ministries of health and foreign affairs announced in a joint statement Sunday morning.
This transfer will be carried out “in compliance with current health protocols and in accordance with WHO recommendations”, the ministries said, adding that they are coordinating the repatriation efforts.
The statement did not specify which airport the French passengers would arrive at after their repatriation but said the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Île-de-France will oversee their arrival.
Evacuation of hantavirus-hit ship starts in Canary Islands
Spanish passengers start disembarkation from ship hit by hantavirus
Spain began bringing Spanish passengers ashore from the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak which anchored near Tenerife on Sunday, with groups of nationals from other countries to follow.
Spanish nationals were the first to disembark on small boats in groups of five and be taken to shore where they were transferred onto buses and taken to the local airport.
The passengers, who are not showing any symptoms of the virus, will board a flight back to Madrid on a Spanish military plane and taken to hospital to be quarantined, government officials said, emphasizing that they will have no contact with members of the public.
