Virus-hit ship arrives in Tenerife ahead of evacuation

The cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak arrived early this morning near the Port of Granadilla in Tenerife where it will anchor for the evacuation of the passengers and some of the crew.

The passengers, none of whom has displayed signs of infection, will be tested by Spanish health authorities to ensure they remain asymptomatic and then transported to land in small boats, according to Spanish officials.

Sealed-off buses will then take the passengers to the Spanish island's main airport about 10 minutes away, where they will board planes heading to their respective countries.

The Irish Government jet will be sent to Spain this morning to take two Irish citizens on board the vessel at the centre of the hantavirus outbreak back to Ireland.

They will then be placed in an as yet unidentified HSE facility, where they will continue to be monitored for a number of weeks.

All passengers on the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius are considered high-risk contacts as a precautionary measure, Europe's public health agency said yesterday as part of its rapid scientific advice.

The evacuation is expected to begin between 7.30am and 8.30am, according to Spanish authorities.

Spanish nationals are set to disembark first with other nationalities to follow in groups, Spanish government officials said.

Thirty crew members will remain on board and sail to the Netherlands where the ship will be disinfected.

The ship left for Spain on Wednesday from the coast of Cape Verde after the World Health Organization and European Union asked the country to manage the evacuation of passengers after the hantavirus outbreak was detected.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived yesterday evening in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, alongside Spain's interior and health ministers and its minister for territorial policy, to coordinate the arrival of the ship.

The WHO said on Friday that eight people had fallen ill, including three who died - a Dutch couple and a German national.

Six of these people are confirmed to have contracted the virus, with another two suspected cases, the WHO has said.

Hantavirus is usually spread by rodents but can in rare cases be transmitted person-to-person.

The WHO has said the risk to the wider global population is low, but the risk to passengers and crew on the ship is moderate.