TENERIFE, Canary Islands, May 10 – Spanish authorities began a large-scale evacuation operation on Sunday after the cruise ship MV Hondius, linked to a hantavirus outbreak, arrived off the coast of Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. The first aircraft carrying Spanish nationals departed for Madrid, where passengers are expected to undergo quarantine and medical observation under the supervision of health officials.
The ship, carrying more than 140 passengers and crew members from over 20 countries, has become the center of an international health response following multiple deaths and confirmed infections connected to the voyage. While no one currently aboard the vessel has shown symptoms, governments across Europe and beyond are taking precautionary measures as passengers are repatriated to their home countries.
International Evacuation Operation Underway in Tenerife
The MV Hondius anchored near Tenerife early Sunday, triggering a carefully coordinated evacuation process led by Spanish health authorities, emergency services, and international agencies. Spanish Health Minister Mónica García stated during the operation that procedures were progressing smoothly and according to established health protocols.
Television footage from the port of Granadilla showed officials, medical teams, and passengers dressed in protective equipment, including respirators, face masks, and hazmat-style suits. Travelers leaving the vessel were allowed to carry only a limited number of personal belongings, including identification documents, mobile phones, chargers, and small essential bags. Most luggage remains onboard due to contamination concerns.
The first evacuation flight transported 14 Spanish citizens to Madrid, where they will reportedly be isolated and monitored at a military medical facility. Spanish authorities said the quarantine measures are preventive and intended to ensure that no potential infections spread to the wider population.
Health officials explained that every passenger leaving the vessel would undergo medical checks before boarding repatriation flights. Authorities also emphasized that evacuees would avoid contact with local residents during transfers through Tenerife.
The World Health Organization has been closely involved in monitoring the situation. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, alongside Spanish government officials, has reportedly overseen parts of the emergency response from the Canary Islands.
Several countries have now activated their own evacuation and quarantine plans. The United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Norway, and Australia are among the nations organizing flights or medical transport for their citizens.
American passengers are expected to be transported to a medical facility in Nebraska for observation. Dutch authorities confirmed that nearly 30 individuals, including Dutch citizens and several foreign nationals, would leave Tenerife on a chartered flight organized by the Netherlands.
France announced that five of its citizens would return home Sunday for hospital monitoring before entering an extended quarantine period at home. British authorities also confirmed that passengers and crew members returning to the U.K. would undergo medical observation immediately after arrival.
Australia’s government is preparing a separate evacuation flight expected to arrive Monday. According to Spanish officials, the aircraft will also transport citizens from neighboring Pacific countries, including New Zealand. Officials said the Australian flight would likely be the final repatriation mission departing Tenerife.
Norway dispatched a specialized ambulance aircraft equipped for handling high-risk infectious diseases. Norwegian emergency authorities said the medical team aboard had extensive experience transporting patients exposed to dangerous viral infections.
Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV publicly thanked authorities in the Canary Islands for allowing the ship to dock and assisting with the international humanitarian response.
Health Concerns Grow as Countries Monitor Possible Cases
The outbreak connected to the MV Hondius has raised concern among global health agencies because of the type of hantavirus believed to be involved. Medical experts say the Andes strain, which has been linked to the incident, is unusual because it may spread between people in rare circumstances.
Hantavirus infections are more commonly associated with exposure to rodent urine, saliva, or droppings. People usually become infected after inhaling contaminated particles in enclosed areas. Symptoms can take anywhere from one to eight weeks to appear after exposure, making containment efforts especially difficult during international travel.
The illness can begin with fever, fatigue, headaches, and muscle pain before developing into severe respiratory complications. In serious cases, patients may experience life-threatening lung infections and organ failure.
Three deaths have already been associated with the outbreak, while at least five passengers who previously disembarked from the vessel tested positive for the virus. Health officials continue to investigate how exposure may have occurred during the expedition cruise.
Spanish authorities confirmed that one passenger who died aboard the ship would remain on the vessel during its next journey. Some crew members are also expected to stay onboard as the ship sails toward Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Officials said the vessel would undergo a complete disinfection process upon arrival.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the company operating the cruise ship, stated that the journey to Rotterdam is expected to take approximately five days.
At the same time, several countries are monitoring possible secondary infections linked to former passengers. In the remote British territory of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic, military medical personnel were deployed after a resident showed suspected symptoms following travel on the MV Hondius.
According to the British defense ministry, six military paratroopers and two medical specialists parachuted onto the isolated island carrying oxygen supplies and emergency medical equipment. Tristan da Cunha is considered one of the world’s most remote inhabited territories, accessible mainly by sea after a lengthy voyage from South Africa.
Elsewhere, Spanish health officials announced that a woman in Alicante who had been suspected of carrying the virus later tested negative. Authorities said she had traveled on the same flight as a Dutch passenger who later died in Johannesburg after leaving the cruise.
Medical experts continue to stress that the overall risk to the general public remains low. However, governments are maintaining strict quarantine and monitoring measures due to the uncertainty surrounding the outbreak and the possibility of delayed symptoms.
As evacuation flights continue through Monday, international health agencies remain focused on preventing further spread while tracing contacts linked to the cruise voyage.