90-Second Read: European nations dispatch planes to evacuate citizens from Hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands will send planes to evacuate their citizens aboard the Tenerife-bound cruise ship hit by a deadly Hantavirus outbreak, Spain 's interior minister said ⁠in Madrid on Saturday. The luxury cruise ship MV Hondius left for Spain on Wednesday from the coast of Cape Verde after the WHO and European Union asked the country to manage the evacuation of passengers onboard after the Hantavirus outbreak was detected. Read more French couple on Hantavirus cruise ship says 'no panic onboard' Hantavirus is usually spread by rodents but can in rare cases be transmitted person-to-person. The European Union is sending two further planes for remaining European citizens, Fernando Grande-Marlaska added. The US and UK have confirmed planes and contingency plans were being arranged for non-EU citizens.

Six of these people are confirmed to have contracted the virus, with another two suspected cases, the WHO has said. All passengers as well as 17 crew members will be evacuated but 30 crew will stay on board and travel on to the Netherlands, Spain's Health Minister Monica Garcia said. Spanish citizens will disembark first, with the order of evacuation of the remaining ⁠groups of citizens to be determined by health authorities. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Local authorities have warned the evacuation must take place between Sunday midday and Monday afternoon before conditions at sea are expected to take a turn for the worse until the end of May due to stormy weather.

It is expected to anchor near the island between 0300 GMT and 0500 GMT. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. The World Health Organization said on Friday that eight people had fallen ill, including three who died – a Dutch couple and a German national. Citizens will not be able to disembark until their evacuation plane is ready to depart, Grande-Marlaska said.

Luggage and the body of a deceased passenger on the ship will remain on board and the ship ⁠will be fully disinfected on arrival, she added. The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.