The first group of passengers were evacuated from a cruise ship facing a Hanta virus outbreak and have now arrived in Madrid after the ship docked at Tenerife Island.
Foreign news agencies reported on 10 May 2026 that the cruise ship MS Hondius, currently confronting a Hanta virus outbreak, docked at Tenerife Island, part of Spain's Canary Islands, earlier this morning. Subsequently, 14 Spanish passengers were evacuated from the ship and flown by charter plane back to Madrid.
Before boarding the plane at Tenerife, officials involved in the operation required the evacuees to wear white hazardous material protective suits over their regular clothing. The airport apron was sprayed with disinfectant. The 14 passengers must now undergo mandatory quarantine at a military hospital in Spain's capital.
Reports state that passenger evacuation is proceeding by nationality. The French group is expected to be the second to depart the island. Following them, passengers to be repatriated by a Dutch flight—including Dutch, Greek, German nationals, and some crew members—will be evacuated next.
Other flights are preparing to depart afterward, including those bound for the United Kingdom and the United States. The final evacuation flight is expected to depart for Australia on Monday.
Monica Garcia, Spain’s Minister of Health, said the operation is "proceeding normally" and that no passengers aboard the MS Hondius have yet shown symptoms of illness.
However, cruise ship passengers still face the challenge of mandatory isolation after leaving Tenerife, which is particularly concerning given the virus’s incubation period can be as long as nine weeks. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that cruise passengers quarantine for 42 days from their last exposure to the virus.
The MV Hondius docked at the Granadilla port in the early hours of Sunday, exactly one month after the first passenger died aboard the ship.
At sunrise, the scene showed the ship anchored offshore, surrounded by patrol boats from the military police. A large-scale operation was underway onshore to assist over 100 passengers and crew disembarking. Medical teams boarded the ship to conduct health checks on everyone to detect any risk or signs of viral infection.
This complex operation aims to prevent the spread of the rare "Andes" strain of the Hanta virus, which is capable of human-to-human transmission. Minister Garcia confirmed on Saturday that the risk of transmission to the general population remains low.
.Foreign news coverage:https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign
Source:bbc