Final Evacuations Set for Hantavirus-Affected Cruise Ship Near Tenerife

(MENAFN) The remaining evacuation flights for passengers aboard a cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak near Spain’s Tenerife are scheduled to depart on Monday afternoon, according to Spanish health authorities.

Spain’s Health Minister Monica Garcia said that 94 passengers had already been evacuated from the vessel as of Sunday, with the final groups set to leave in coordinated international flights. An Australian flight is expected to transport six passengers, while a Dutch-organized flight will carry 18 individuals, including travelers from countries that did not arrange separate evacuation operations.

Earlier in the evacuation process, 14 Spanish nationals were among the first to disembark and were transported by military aircraft to Madrid, where they were placed under quarantine and medical observation in a military hospital.

The evacuation effort has drawn some criticism from regional officials in the Canary Islands, though Spanish authorities have rejected concerns about the potential spread of infected rodents to land, describing such risks as extremely unlikely.

Health officials have noted that hantavirus is a rare disease typically associated with rodents or their waste, though the specific strain involved in this outbreak is capable of limited human-to-human transmission through close contact.

International health agencies, including the World Health Organization, have confirmed several cases linked to the ship, including fatalities, and continue to monitor the situation closely. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified the incident as a Level 3 emergency response, indicating a moderate but contained outbreak requiring active monitoring.

The ship remains under controlled evacuation and sanitation procedures as authorities work to complete passenger removal and prevent further spread of the virus.

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