MADRID - A total of 94 passengers and crew members were evacuated on Sunday from the Hondius cruise ship affected by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, the Spanish health minister said.
Individuals from 19 countries left the Canary island on eight special aircraft, Spanish Health Minister Mónica García told journalists in Tenerife, reported German news agency dpa.
On Monday afternoon, an aircraft from the Netherlands and a plane from Australia are due to be deployed to fly out six and 18 more affected individuals respectively.
The evacuation comes about a week after the World Health Organisation (WHO) first reported that three passengers of the Hondius, an elderly Dutch couple and a German woman, had died in a suspected hantavirus outbreak.
The virus can cause fever and severe respiratory illness in humans and is typically spread through contact with the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents.
Before Sunday's operation began, doctors carried out an epidemiological examination on board the vessel. No symptoms were found in any of the 152 people on board.
A French national started showing symptoms after being evacuated, García said, adding that French authorities would "apply their protocols."
According to García, 34 people, the majority of them crew members, are to remain on board and sail back to the Netherlands on the Hondius.
The minister said the operation had so far gone smoothly, stating it was "a very good day today."
According to the WHO, there have been six confirmed hantavirus cases and two suspected cases, three of them fatal.
Once all passengers have disembarked, the Hondius, which sails under the Dutch flag, is to continue its journey to Rotterdam with part of its crew. The body of the German victim will only be removed upon arrival there, where the vessel is also to be disinfected.
The Hondius began its voyage in Argentina on April 1, anchored at Cape Verde then departed for the Canary Islands on Wednesday evening.
As more than 30 passengers and crew members disembarked during the ship’s stopovers, officials worldwide are searching for potential suspected cases. - BERNAMA-DPA