Spain begins evacuation of hantavirus-hit cruise ship off Tenerife coast

Spain has begun evacuating passengers and crew from the virus-hit cruise ship MS Hondius, which is anchored off the coast of Tenerife in the Canary Islands after a hantavirus outbreak on board.

According to a BBC report, passengers are being transported in small boats to the shore before being flown back to their home countries on charter flights.

Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said that the operation was “proceeding normally” and confirmed that all passengers remained asymptomatic during the evacuation process.

The evacuation began after the ship arrived near the port of Granadilla early Sunday morning, nearly a month after the first passenger on board died from the rare Andes strain of hantavirus. More than 100 passengers and crew members are expected to be evacuated in phases based on nationality.

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According to the report, Spanish nationals are among the first to leave the vessel, followed by Dutch, Greek and German passengers as well as some crew members. Additional flights are planned for passengers travelling to the United Kingdom, United States and Australia.

Strict medical and security measures in place

Medical teams boarded the ship on Sunday morning to check passengers for symptoms of the virus before disembarkation. Authorities have also imposed a strict one-nautical-mile security perimeter around the vessel, the report said.

Photographs shown in the report showed passengers wearing white medical masks while officials in protective suits received them on shore. Military police boats patrolled nearby waters as emergency teams coordinated the operation.

According to the report, doctors and intensive care specialists have been placed on standby at the Candelaria hospital in Tenerife in case any passenger becomes seriously ill.

The report said that medical teams have been trained for such emergencies despite never previously dealing with hantavirus cases.

WHO praises Spain’s response

Meanwhile, the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is currently in Tenerife overseeing the operation. He praised Spanish authorities for what he called a “solid and effective response” to the outbreak.

Experts believe that the outbreak may be linked to a landfill site in southern Argentina, where the virus is carried by rodents. Although human-to-human transmission of the Andes strain is considered rare, three passengers from the cruise have reportedly died.

Concerns among local residents

The arrival of the ship initially triggered concern among some residents and port workers in Tenerife. Protesters gathered outside the local parliament on Friday, demanding stronger safety measures.

However, Spain’s central government later intervened and reassured the public that the risk to the wider population remained low.

Many passengers now face weeks of quarantine after returning home, as the virus can have an incubation period of up to nine weeks.