Hantavirus-hit cruise ship anchored off Spain's island, mass evacuation begins

A cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak arrived off Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday, triggering a tightly controlled international evacuation operation involving the World Health Organisation, Spanish authorities and multiple governments.

The MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, carrying more than 140 people from over 20 nationalities. The vessel did not dock at the port and instead remained anchored offshore, with passengers and some crew members ferried out in small boats — a grimly orderly exit where even suitcases failed to make the guest list.

Authorities said nobody currently on board is showing symptoms of hantavirus. However, three people have died since the outbreak began, while five passengers who had earlier left the ship tested positive for the virus.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with Spain’s health and interior ministers, supervised the evacuation efforts. Spanish authorities stressed that passengers and crew leaving the ship would have no contact with the local population.

Every person disembarking will undergo symptom checks and will only be evacuated once chartered flights are ready to depart for their destinations. Officials aim to complete the evacuation flights on Sunday and Monday, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the WHO’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management.

The United States and the United Kingdom have agreed to send aircraft to evacuate their citizens. American passengers will be quarantined at a medical facility in Nebraska after arrival.

Spanish authorities said all Spanish passengers would be transferred to a medical facility and placed under quarantine. Oceanwide Expeditions listed 13 Spanish passengers and one Spanish crew member aboard the vessel.

Passengers leaving the ship must abandon their luggage and carry only a small essentials bag containing documents, a cellphone and a charger.

Health officials said hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated particles from rodent droppings and that human-to-human transmission remains rare. However, the Andes virus strain linked to the outbreak may spread between people in uncommon cases. Symptoms can appear anywhere between one and eight weeks after exposure.

Some crew members, along with the body of a passenger who died onboard, will remain on the ship as it sails onward to the Netherlands for disinfection, Spanish authorities said.

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