Spain’s Guardia Civil has released footage of the MV Hondius being escorted into the port of Granadilla, in the southern part of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, as Spanish authorities began a major international health operation surrounding the hantavirus outbreak onboard.
At least eight people onboard are believed to have contracted the hantavirus, with six confirmed infections and three deaths linked to the outbreak so far, according to the World Health Organization and European health authorities. Officials believe the virus was initially brought onto the ship from outside during the expedition’s earlier stages in South America before spreading among passengers through close contact onboard.
The MV Hondius arrived carrying around 146 passengers and crew members from more than 20 nationalities. Spanish authorities have stated that all passengers will undergo medical screening and epidemiological assessments before disembarkation. Spanish nationals are expected to be evacuated first and transferred to Madrid for quarantine procedures, while other passengers will be repatriated through specially organised flights coordinated by their home countries.
Spain’s health authorities continue to stress that the risk to the general population remains low, although all passengers are currently being treated as high-risk contacts as a precautionary measure.
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