Passengers From Over 20 Countries Evacuated After Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak Kills 3 On Cruise Ship

Passengers and crew from more than 20 countries were evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius after a deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the Andes killed three people and infected several others.

The Dutch-owned polar cruise vessel arrived off Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday, where authorities launched a large-scale evacuation and repatriation operation involving military aircraft, government-chartered flights and specialist medical teams.

Health authorities confirmed that six cases of hantavirus and two suspected cases had been linked to the outbreak. Three people died during the voyage, including two passengers who died onboard the vessel.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services said all 17 American citizens aboard the ship were being flown back to the US.

One passenger had mild symptoms, while another tested mildly PCR positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus but did not show symptoms. Two passengers were transported in biocontainment units as a precaution.

The American passengers were flown to the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha for assessment and monitoring.

Continuamos durante la tarde con el desembarque de los pasajeros de MV #HONDIUS. Los agentes especialistas NRBQ los reciben a su llegada al Puerto de Granadilla de Abona, para su escolta en el convoy hasta el aeropuerto Tenerife Sur. pic.twitter.com/0oMI8H8NFv

— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) May 10, 2026

Officials said one passenger would be taken to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit while others would remain under observation in a quarantine unit.

French authorities also confirmed that one of five French passengers developed symptoms during the flight home. The passengers were placed in strict isolation after arriving in Paris.

British authorities arranged a chartered flight carrying 22 UK nationals from Tenerife to Manchester. The passengers were later transferred to Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside for quarantine and monitoring.

Officials said none of the British passengers were showing symptoms.

Spanish passengers were the first group evacuated from the ship. They were flown to Madrid and transferred to Gómez Ulla Hospital. Separate flights later departed for the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Canada, Turkey and other countries.

Passengers were escorted from the ship in small groups by medical personnel wearing full-body protective suits and respirators.

Authorities established a controlled evacuation zone at Granadilla port in Tenerife, where passengers were moved directly from boats to buses and then to waiting aircraft.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the public should not panic and stressed that the outbreak was not another Covid-like situation. Health officials said the risk to the general public remained low.

Officials explained that the Andes strain is the only known hantavirus that can spread between humans, although transmission usually requires very close contact. Hantavirus infections are normally linked to contact with rodent urine, saliva or droppings.

According to the WHO, the first known exposure may have occurred during bird-watching activities involving rodent contact earlier in the voyage.

La Guardia Civil ha participado en el traslado de los ocupantes del MV HONDIUS desde el puerto de Granadilla de Abona hasta el aeropuerto de Tenerife Sur. En el dispositivo han trabajado más de 300 efectivos, incluyendo medios aéreos, varias embarcaciones del servicio marítimo,… pic.twitter.com/JNIUvWssel

— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) May 10, 2026

The outbreak was reported to the WHO on May 2 after several passengers developed severe respiratory illness onboard.

At that time, the vessel carried 147 passengers and crew, although dozens had already left the ship during earlier stages of the voyage.

The first death involved a Dutch passenger who died onboard on April 11. His wife later died at a clinic in South Africa on April 26. A German passenger died onboard on May 2.

Two days later, hantavirus infection was confirmed in a passenger who had been medically evacuated to South Africa.

Authorities said passengers and crew had remained confined to their cabins for several days before the evacuation to reduce potential transmission onboard.

The WHO recommended that all exposed passengers undergo active monitoring and quarantine for up to 42 days because the incubation period for hantavirus can range from a few days to eight weeks.

Canadian authorities said four passengers returning to British Columbia would self-isolate for at least 21 days, with the possibility of extending quarantine to 42 days if necessary.

The Netherlands received one of the evacuation flights on Sunday evening carrying passengers from several countries, including India, Argentina, Portugal, Ukraine and the Philippines. Dutch authorities said returning passengers would self-quarantine for six weeks.

Meanwhile, 14 essential crewmembers remained onboard the vessel to continue its voyage to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The ship is expected to undergo a full disinfection process on arrival.

Spanish authorities also confirmed that the body of one deceased passenger would remain onboard until the vessel reaches Rotterdam.

The outbreak also led to a medical response in the remote British overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha after a passenger who previously disembarked there developed a suspected hantavirus infection.

British military medics and medical supplies were parachuted onto the island due to its extreme isolation and lack of an airport.

Cape Verde authorities had earlier refused permission for the vessel to dock because of concerns about local healthcare capacity and the risk of wider transmission.

Technical Breakdown

MV Hondius is a polar expedition cruise ship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions. The vessel had been operating voyages linked to South Atlantic and Antarctic expedition routes before the outbreak emerged.

The outbreak involved the Andes strain of hantavirus, which differs from most hantaviruses because limited human-to-human transmission has been documented.

Health officials said transmission generally requires prolonged close contact rather than airborne community spread.

The evacuation operation involved controlled maritime transfers from ship to shore, aircraft-based medical repatriation, biocontainment transport systems and long-term quarantine monitoring.

The WHO recommended monitoring periods of up to 42 days due to the virus’s extended incubation period.

The vessel is now continuing to Rotterdam for sanitisation and operational disinfection procedures.

References: nbcnews, theguardian