First passengers pictured evacuating hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius cruise ship ahead of flights home

More than a dozen passengers on the cruise ship at the centre of a hantavirus outbreak have disembarked after a week in isolation at sea, as the “unprecedented” evacuation of the vessel commences.

More than 140 people were on board the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, including citizens from the UK, France, the Netherlands, and the United States, when it anchored off Tenerife in the early hour of Sunday.

Medics in full PPE first embarked, before the process of escorting passengers off the ship began after it was confirmed all passengers remain asymptomatic.

Once off the vessel, the passengers will be repatriated to their home countries on chartered flights.

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So far, The Independent understands around a dozen Spanish passengers have disembarked, followed by five French nationals. Pictures show passengers wearing face masks and blue PPE being taken ashore via small boats.

The 22 British passengers and crew, believed to still be on board, will be taken to Arrowe Park hospital in Wirral, Merseyside, for “clinical assessment and testing”, health chiefs have confirmed.

They will be held at the hospital for 72 hours, after which specialists will decide whether they can isolate at home for 45 days or another suitable location.

The Merseyside hospital is known for its role as the nation’s initial quarantine site for British citizens returning from Wuhan, China, at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in January 2020.

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Passengers from other nations are also set to be transported to specialist centres where their condition can be assessed further, with evacuations expected to continue into Monday afternoon.

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

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended a 42-day quarantine period for passengers aboard the ⁠ship starting from Sunday.

Eight people are suspected to have fallen ill with hantavirus, including three who died - a Dutch couple ‌and a German national. Of the eight, six are confirmed to have contracted ‌the virus, with another two suspected cases.

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All passengers on the MV Hondius are considered high-risk contacts as a precautionary measure, Europe's public health agency said late on Saturday as part of its rapid scientific advice, adding that the risk to the general population remains low.

A joint statement from NHS England North West, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, Merseyside Police, North West Ambulance Service, and Wirral Council said: “In line with advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), on arrival they will be taken to a managed setting for clinical assessment and testing. We expect this initial stay to be up to 72 hours.

“Following this, public health specialists will assess whether they can isolate at home or at another suitable location, based on their living arrangements. The risk to the general population remains very low.

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“Our partner organisations are working together to ensure that all returning passengers are welcomed, comfortable and well supported throughout their stay.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) also said it had conducted a first of its kind operation to parachute a specialist team of army and medical personnel on to the British overseas territory Tristan da Cunha after a British national there showed symptoms of hantavirus.

Paratroopers and medics delivered aid to the Briton, who lives on the remote island and had been on board the MV Hondius, the UKHSA said.

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