Madrid, Spain. Spain’s interior minister said Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands will send planes to evacuate their citizens from the Tenerife-bound cruise ship MV Hondius after a deadly hantavirus outbreak. The European Union will send two additional planes for remaining European citizens.
Evacuation plans and international support
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the United States and the United Kingdom have confirmed planes and contingency plans were being arranged for non-EU citizens whose countries were unable to send air transport.
Ship arrival and weather window
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was scheduled to travel to Tenerife in the Canary Islands with Spain’s interior and health ministers to coordinate the ship’s arrival. The ship is expected to anchor near the island between 3am GMT and 5am GMT on Sunday.
Local authorities warned the evacuation must take place between Sunday midday and Monday afternoon before sea conditions are expected to worsen until the end of May due to stormy weather.
Outbreak details
The MV Hondius left for Spain on Wednesday from the coast of Cape Verde after the WHO and the European Union asked the country to manage the evacuation of passengers onboard following detection of the hantavirus outbreak.
The WHO said on Friday that eight people had fallen ill, including three who died: a Dutch couple and a German national. Six people are confirmed to have contracted the virus, with two suspected cases, the WHO said. Hantavirus is usually spread by rodents but can in rare cases be transmitted person-to-person.
Disembarkation and onboard measures
All passengers and 17 crew members will be evacuated, but 30 crew will stay on board and travel on to the Netherlands, Spain’s Health Minister Monica Garcia said. Luggage and the body of a deceased passenger will remain on board, and the ship will be fully disinfected on arrival, she added.
Spanish citizens will disembark first, with the evacuation order for remaining groups to be determined by health authorities. Citizens will not be able to disembark until their evacuation plane is ready to depart, Grande-Marlaska said.
How will the evacuation order affect when you are able to disembark?