Passengers and crew aboard the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, MV Hondius, have started disembarking in Spain’s Canary Islands as authorities intensify efforts to contain the deadly virus outbreak.
The evacuation operation began on Sunday at Tenerife after the Dutch-flagged vessel arrived from Cape Verde following growing international concern over the outbreak onboard.
Health officials confirmed that passengers would be evacuated in groups based on nationality and transported to shore using smaller boats before being flown back to their respective countries.
“The disembarkation of the passengers and the Spanish crew member has started,” Spain’s health ministry announced.
The first group evacuated included 14 Spanish nationals, followed by Dutch, Greek, and German passengers alongside some members of the crew.
Authorities also arranged separate evacuation flights for passengers from Canada, Turkey, France, Britain, Ireland, the United States, and Australia.
Passengers wearing protective medical suits were seen boarding small boats from the cruise ship before being transferred by bus to Tenerife South Airport for repatriation flights.
Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia stated that all passengers had undergone medical screening before evacuation and were asymptomatic at the time of disembarkation.
The minister also assured residents that evacuees would have no contact with the local population during the operation.
Security was tightened around the industrial port of Granadilla, where police officers and health officials sealed off parts of the area while white medical tents were erected along the shoreline.
The World Health Organization has been monitoring the situation closely after confirming multiple cases linked to the outbreak onboard the vessel.
According to health officials, the Andes strain of hantavirus — the only known variant capable of human-to-human transmission — was detected among infected passengers, heightening global concern.
The WHO confirmed six cases out of eight suspected infections linked to the cruise ship.
The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 for a transatlantic expedition to Cape Verde before the outbreak was detected.
Health authorities believe the initial infection may have occurred before the voyage began, followed by possible transmission between passengers onboard.
Despite comparisons to the COVID-19 pandemic, health experts have maintained that the overall risk to global public health remains low.
No vaccines or specific treatments currently exist for hantavirus infections.
Authorities in several countries have also begun tracing passengers who previously disembarked from the ship as part of ongoing containment efforts.
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