Tenerife begins evacuating cruise ship passengers in hantavirus outbreak
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The cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak arrived off the Spanish island of Tenerife early Sunday, where the evacuation of passengers was expected to begin.
Passengers will be tested by Spanish health authorities to ensure they are asymptomatic before being transported ashore by small boats, according to Reuters.
According to Reuters, the evacuation is expected to start between 07:30 and 08:30 local time, and Spanish citizens are expected to disembark first, followed by passengers of other nationalities.
They are then expected to be taken to the island’s main airport and repatriated. It is believed that there were many Americans on board the MV Hondius.
AMERICANS TO BE EVACUATED FROM HANTAVIRUS CRUISE SHIP AS GLOBAL HEALTH CHIEF TRAVELS TO QUARANTINE ISLAND
The cruise ship MV Hondius arrives at the port of Granadilla de Abona after being affected by a hantavirus outbreak in Tenerife, Spain, on May 10, 2026. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
Fox News Digital previously reported that the US government planned to transfer American passengers to a military base in Nebraska for quarantine and monitoring.
The ship set course for Spain off the coast of Cape Verde on Wednesday after the WHO and the European Union requested assistance in managing the outbreak.
The arrival of the ship was attended by the Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr. It took place hours after Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on the island.
WHO said on Friday that eight people on the ship fell ill, three of whom died. Six cases were confirmed, two others were suspected.
HANTAVIRUS DEATHS ON A CRUISE SHIP HIGHLIGHTS THE DANGERS OF CRIMINE-BORNE DISEASES
A cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak has docked near the Spanish island of Tenerife ahead of a planned evacuation. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
In a statement on Saturday, Ghebreyesus said the public health risk remained low.
“I know you’re worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘epidemic’ and watch a ship sail towards your shores, memories come to the surface that none of us can fully eliminate,” he said.
“The pain of 2020 is still real, and I’m not ignoring that for a second. But you need to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID-19. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this clearly, and now I will tell you again.”
ARGENTINE RESEARCHERS RESET THE POSSIBLE POINT OF ORIGIN OF HANTAVIRUS IN THE DEADLY TRAVEL OUTBREAK
A police boat operates next to the cruise ship MV Hondius in the port of Granadilla de Abona after it was affected by a hantavirus outbreak in Tenerife, Spain, May 10, 2026. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
Ghebreyesus noted that the virus detected on the ship was the hantavirus type found in the Andes, which can be severe.
“Three people have lost their lives, our hearts go out to their families,” he wrote, reiterating that the public health risk of the virus remains low.
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An ambulance evacuates patients from the cruise ship MV Hondius to Praia airport in Cape Verde on May 6, 2026. (Misper Apawu/AP)
Approximately 30 crew members are expected to remain on board as the ship continues towards the Netherlands, where it will be disinfected.
Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy and Reuters contributed to this report.
