The cruise ship involved in the deadly hantavirus outbreak arrived near the Port of Granadilla in Tenerife early Sunday. Passengers and some crew members are scheduled for evacuation, according to Reuters footage.
Spanish health authorities will test all passengers, who have not shown symptoms, before transporting them to shore in small boats. Sealed buses will then take them to Tenerife’s main airport for flights to their home countries.
Europe’s public health agency has classified all passengers aboard the MV Hondius as high-risk contacts as a precaution. The evacuation is expected to begin between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. local time.
Spanish nationals will disembark first, followed by other passengers in groups. Approximately 30 crew members will remain on board as the vessel sails to the Netherlands for disinfection.
The ship left the coast of Cape Verde on Wednesday after the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union requested Spain’s assistance with the evacuation following the outbreak.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Tenerife on Saturday alongside Spanish ministers to oversee the operation.
According to the WHO, eight people became ill during the outbreak, including three who died: a Dutch couple and a German national. Six infections have been confirmed, while two remain suspected cases.
Hantavirus is typically spread through rodents, though rare cases of person-to-person transmission have been reported. The WHO said the risk to the wider public remains low, while the risk to passengers and crew is considered moderate.
Timeline of the Ship
- April 1: MV Hondius departs Argentina for a cruise to Antarctica and South Atlantic islands.
- April 6-11: First passenger develops severe respiratory symptoms and dies on board on April 11.
- April 24: The ship stops at St. Helena; the first victim’s body is removed, and his wife disembarks, along with other passengers.
- April 25-26: A third passenger is evacuated; the wife of the first victim dies in a South African hospital on April 26.
- April 27: A British passenger is evacuated from Ascension Island to South Africa with severe symptoms.
- May 2: Third death confirmed (another woman).
- May 3-4: WHO confirms the outbreak as hantavirus (Andes virus).
- May 5-6: The ship is prohibited from docking in Cape Verde; two crew members, including the ship’s doctor, fall ill.
- May 6-7: Spain’s Canary Islands agree to accept the ship for docking, where passengers are set to disembar
