A cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday, where authorities began evacuating nearly 150 passengers and crew after weeks stranded at sea.
The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius reached the port of Granadilla under escort from Spain’s Civil Guard as emergency teams prepared a tightly controlled operation to fly passengers home.
Three people — a Dutch couple and a German woman — have died following the outbreak, while several others tested positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus, the only known type capable of spreading between humans.
The World Health Organization classified everyone aboard as “high-risk contacts” but stressed the danger to the general public remains low.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus traveled to Tenerife ahead of the evacuation and sought to calm fears among residents.
“I need you to hear me clearly,” Tedros wrote in an open letter. “This is not another Covid.”
Spanish authorities established a maritime exclusion zone around the vessel, insisting there would be “no contact” between passengers and the local population. Temporary medical tents and security checkpoints were set up at the port as screening operations began.
The ship had been sailing from Cape Verde after departing Ushuaia, Argentina, in early April for a transatlantic expedition cruise.
Health officials across several countries are now monitoring former passengers and anyone who may have had contact with infected travelers. Authorities in Spain, the Netherlands, Singapore, Britain, and South Africa have all launched precautionary measures linked to the outbreak.
Despite growing international attention, life in Tenerife continued normally on Sunday, with locals shopping, swimming, and gathering at cafés near the port.
