Evacuation operations have commenced for passengers and crew aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius following a hantavirus outbreak that triggered international concern.
Spanish health authorities confirmed on Sunday that passengers began disembarking from the vessel off the coast of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
The evacuation process involves transporting passengers in small boats from the ship to the port before transferring them to chartered flights for repatriation to their home countries.
According to officials, 14 Spanish nationals were among the first group evacuated, followed by passengers from the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, and other countries.
The ship is carrying nearly 150 passengers and crew members.
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Spanish authorities said all evacuees underwent medical assessments before disembarkation and stressed that there would be no contact between passengers and the local population during the operation.
The outbreak involves the Andes strain of hantavirus, the only known variant capable of human-to-human transmission. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed multiple cases linked to the ship, although officials maintain that the overall global public health risk remains low.
No vaccine or specific treatment currently exists for hantavirus infections.
The vessel had departed from Ushuaia in Argentina on April 1 before travelling across the Atlantic toward Europe. It later arrived near Tenerife after previous medical evacuations in Cape Verde.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is reportedly monitoring the evacuation process alongside Spanish authorities.
Health agencies in several countries are also tracing passengers and contacts linked to the outbreak as investigations continue into the source and spread of the infection aboard the ship.
