A French passenger evacuated from a cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak began showing symptoms during a repatriation flight to Paris, prompting authorities to place all five French nationals from the vessel into immediate isolation, according to French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Lecornu said the individual developed signs of illness while travelling on a chartered flight from Tenerife, leading health officials to enforce strict quarantine measures upon arrival in France.
The French group was among more than 90 passengers and crew members evacuated on Sunday from the Dutch-operated cruise ship MV Hondius, which anchored off the Canary Islands before dawn amid an international medical response.
At least three passengers who had travelled aboard the vessel have died, with two confirmed to have contracted hantavirus.
Emergency personnel dressed in full protective gear met the French evacuees on the runway after their flight landed at Le Bourget Airport near Paris. Ambulances later transported them to Bichat Hospital for further treatment and monitoring.
France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said the group would remain under quarantine for 72 hours while undergoing medical evaluations before later entering a 45-day self-isolation period at home.
Meanwhile, 14 Spanish nationals flown from Tenerife to Madrid have been ordered into quarantine at a military hospital in the Spanish capital.
British passengers have also been repatriated to Manchester. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said none had reported symptoms so far, though all are being closely monitored.
A separate aircraft carrying 26 passengers and crew members, including eight Dutch citizens, arrived safely in the Netherlands. Repatriation flights for Turkish, Irish and US nationals were also scheduled throughout Sunday.
Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said 18 people, including all American passengers and one British resident living in the United States, were expected to travel onward to the US.
Spain’s Health Secretary Javier Padilla said more than 90 of the ship’s 150 passengers and crew would have been evacuated by the end of Sunday, with another flight to Australia expected on Monday.
The Hondius docked at the port of Granadilla early Sunday morning, where medical teams boarded the vessel shortly after 7am local time to begin a carefully coordinated evacuation plan developed by Spanish authorities alongside the World Health Organization (WHO).
Passengers wearing white face masks were seen standing on the ship’s deck and at cabin windows as evacuation procedures unfolded. Some evacuees filmed the operation from socially distanced rescue boats while officials in white protective suits waited ashore.
Several British passengers, dressed in blue PPE, waved and gave thumbs-up gestures to reporters while being escorted to the airport.
The ship’s arrival in Tenerife sparked concern among some local officials, including the Canary Islands’ regional president, who warned about the potential risk of the virus spreading to the island.
Hantaviruses are commonly carried by rodents, though health officials believe the Andes strain linked to this outbreak may spread between humans. The WHO suspects several passengers contracted the virus while travelling through South America.
Symptoms of hantavirus infection include fever, severe fatigue, muscle pain, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhoea and breathing difficulties.
The first reported death connected to the outbreak occurred on April 11, followed by another on May 2. A 69-year-old Dutch woman who disembarked in St Helena on April 24 later travelled to South Africa, where she died two days afterward.
Two British men diagnosed with the virus are currently receiving treatment in hospitals in the Netherlands and South Africa.
Another British passenger is being treated for a suspected infection on the isolated Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where British Army medics reportedly parachuted in medical supplies to assist with treatment efforts.
British nationals returning to the UK will be transferred to an isolation facility for up to 72 hours before medical teams determine whether they can safely continue quarantine at home or another suitable location.
Once all passengers and crew members have disembarked, the Hondius is expected to continue its journey to the Netherlands, where the belongings of deceased passengers, along with one victim’s body, will undergo disinfection procedures before removal.
