Hantavirus: Passengers evacuate off MV Hondius in Tenerife
What you need to know
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The virus-hit MV Hondius arrived off the Spanish port of Granadilla, Tenerife
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The vessel did not dock and is anchored in the harbor
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None of the remaining passengers or crew have shown symptoms of infection, though all will be tested.
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The US, the UK, and several European countries are dispatched aircraft to evacuate their citizens
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The head of the World Health Organization said the risk posed by the hantavirus outbreak “remains low.”
Stay with us for the latest news on the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak:
Skip next section First passengers leave hantavirus-hit shipPublished 05/10/2026Published May 10, 2026last updated 05/10/2026last updated May 10, 2026First passengers leave hantavirus-hit ship
The first group of passengers, all Spanish nationals, have disembarked from the Hondius and been transported ashore on the Spanish island of Tenerife.
They are set to board military buses that will take them to the airport, where they will fly on a military plane to Madrid. Once there, they will be placed in quarantine.
Dutch nationals are expected to be the next to leave the vessel.
A medical team has now boarded the MV Hondius and is conducting an epidemiological investigation, according to the Spanish Health Ministry.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DXjYSkip next section UK parachutes medical team to remote Tristan da Cunha island05/10/2026May 10, 2026UK parachutes medical team to remote Tristan da Cunha island
After a British national with a suspected hantavirus infection disembarked from the Hondius on the island of Tristan da Cunha, the UK military parachuted "specialist paratroopers and military clinicians" onto the British overseas territory.
Oxygen and other medical equipment were also dropped from the RAF cargo plane. The UK military described the drop as a "daring parachute operation to deliver critical medical support."
The remote volcanic island, home of the Hondius passenger, is located in the South Atlantic and has no airstrip, making it accessible only by boat.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the safety of "all members of the British family" is the top priority and that her government will continue to ensure that "the right support is in place in the UK and across the Overseas Territories."
https://p.dw.com/p/5DXglSkip next section Health officials start medical checks on Hondius passengers05/10/2026May 10, 2026Health officials start medical checks on Hondius passengers
Medical teams are now checking passengers for signs of infection as they disembark MV Hondius. The passengers are to be transported to land in small boats, divided into groups of five.
Spanish nationals will be the first to disembark.
Authorities previously said none of the nearly 150 passengers and crew aboard the ship currently showed symptoms of a Hantavirus infection. However, the incubation period for the virus can last for up to eight weeks.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DXgQSkip next section Evacuation teams deployed to Tenerife port05/10/2026May 10, 2026Evacuation teams deployed to Tenerife port
Spain's law enforcement agency Guardia Civil has sent teams to Tenerife the Port of Granadilla where the cruise ship MV Hondius is now anchored.
Nearly 150 people are onboard. International passengers will only be allowed to leave when their planes are ready at the nearby airport.
All Spanish passengers are to be quarantined in a medical facility in Madrid.
The authorities hope to complete the evacuation process by tomorrow, with the last flight set to depart for Australia.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DXaLSkip next section Hondius set to sail to the Netherlands after evacuation05/10/2026May 10, 2026Hondius set to sail to the Netherlands after evacuation
After all passengers and some crew evacuate the luxury cruise ship Hondius, the vessel is expected to sail to the Netherlands for disinfection. It will also transport the body of a German woman, one of three passengers believed to have died from the hantavirus outbreak, to a Dutch port.
The first victim, a Dutch man, was taken off the ship at the remote Atlantic island of St. Helena. His wife later died in a South African hospital after disembarking.
According to a manifest provided by the ship's operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, six Germans remain aboard the ship. They are to be evacuated and flown back to Germany.
Germany's official public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute, recommends six weeks of isolation for suspected contact persons who are not showing symptoms of hantavirus infection. The quarantine can also be conducted at home.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DXWnSkip next section What happens next?05/10/2026May 10, 2026What happens next?
A cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has arrived at the Spanish island of Tenerife.
Spanish authorities say medical teams will first screen everyone on board for acute symptoms.
If none are found, passengers will disembark in groups of five, wearing FFP2 masks and carrying only light hand luggage.
They will be taken by bus to the airport and flown home on special charter flights arranged by their countries.
The World Health Organization says returns are planned for Sunday and Monday, with passengers expected to enter quarantine after arrival.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DXO8Skip next section Cruise ship hit by hantavirus outbreak reaches Tenerife05/10/2026May 10, 2026Cruise ship hit by hantavirus outbreak reaches Tenerife
The vessel Hondius, which was hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, arrived near the Port of Granadilla on Spain's island of Tenerife on Sunday morning.
The virus killed three people aboard the luxury vessel.
Spanish officials said passengers would be tested before being transported ashore in small boats, then taken to the airport in sealed buses and flown to their home countries for quarantine.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DXI5Skip next section What are the evacuation plans for Hantavirus-stricken ship passengers?05/10/2026May 10, 2026What are the evacuation plans for Hantavirus-stricken ship passengers?
Spanish authorities are gearing up for the arrival of the MV Hondius, with nearly 150 people on board.
Here's what we know about the evacuation plans:
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The Dutch-flagged MV Hodius is expected to anchor offshore
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Those aboard will be screened and brought ashore in small boats
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They will be taken to the airport by bus once the planes from their countries are ready for take-off
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Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands have confirmed they will send planes to evacuate their citizens aboard MV Hodius
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The European Union is sending two more planes for the remaining European citizens
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The US and UK said planes and contingency plans were being arranged for non-EU citizens
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Local authorities say the evacuation must take place between Sunday and Monday, before weather conditions at sea change
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After the evacuation operation, MV Hondius is set to continue onward to the Netherlands, where it is to be disinfected in accordance with international protocols
What to know about Hantavirus cases if you're joining us on Sunday
Roshni Majumdar Editor- Spain is preparing for the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius to arrive early Sunday in the Canary Islands.
- As of May 8, a total of eight cases (six confirmed and two probable cases), including three deaths (two confirmed and one probable), have been reported, the WHO said.
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The ship, which began its journey on April 1 in Argentina, is carrying nearly 150 people from more than 20 countries.
Sanchez: Spain has 'moral and legal' duty to allow Hondius to dock
It is Spain's "duty" to offer a safe port to a cruise ship hit with a deadly hantavirus outbreak for the evacuation of its passengers, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.
The Hondius is due to arrive off the coast of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, early on Sunday morning.
Permitting the operation at the request of the World Health Organization (WHO) "is a moral and legal duty for our citizens, Europe and international law," Sanchez said on X after meeting with WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Madrid.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DWsVSkip next section Flights home planned for virus-hit cruise ship passengers, says Spain05/09/2026May 9, 2026Flights home planned for virus-hit cruise ship passengers, says Spain
Spain said arrangements have been made to fly European passengers home when they leave the hantavirus-hit Hondius cruise ship.
"I can confirm that return flights to France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands have already been planned," Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told a news conference.
Grande-Marlaska said two planes from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism are on standby, adding that the UK and US had made their own repatriation arrangements for their citizens.
The Hondius is due to arrive off southern Tenerife, in Spain's Canary Islands, early on Sunday morning.
Spanish officials have insisted that all those aboard will be checked for symptoms and will be taken directly onto the runway before boarding planes.
Spanish nationals will be flown to Madrid by military plane, where they will be quarantined at a hospital.
MV Hondius heads to Canaries amid hantavirus tracing efforts
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https://p.dw.com/p/5DWsNSkip next section IN PICTURES: Spain prepares for arrival of hantavirus-stricken cruise ship05/09/2026May 9, 2026IN PICTURES: Spain prepares for arrival of hantavirus-stricken cruise ship
Karl Sexton EditorWHO chief Tedros speaks to MV Hondius captain after arrival in Spain
The secretary-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he had spoken to the captain of the MV Hondius after arriving in Spain on Saturday.
"I am in direct communication with captain Jan Dobrogowski and [WHO] colleague on board Dr Freddy Banza-Mutoka," Tedros said in a post on X, adding that he had been briefed that there were no new recorded cases of hantavirus on the ship.
Tedros said that he would "join senior government officials in a mission to Tenerife to oversee safe disembarkation of the passengers, crew members and health experts from MV Hondius cruise ship."
The WHO chief stressed that the "risk for the population of Canary Islands and globally remains low."
The Dutch-flagged vessel is scheduled to arrive in Tenerife in the Canary Islands early on Sunday, according to Spanish authorities.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DWQMSkip next section Risk to general public remains low — Spanish minister05/09/2026May 9, 2026Risk to general public remains low — Spanish minister
Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said at a Saturday press conference that the risk to the general public from a hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship on its way to Spanish territory remains low.
The Dutch-flagged vessel is to arrive in the Canary Islands between 4 and 6 a.m. local time (between 0300 and 0500 UTC) on Sunday, and passengers and crew will be taken to a “completely isolated, cordoned-off area,” she said.
The minister added the body of one deceased person will stay on board the ship alongside part of the crew and the vessel will then continue onward to the Netherlands, where it is to be disinfected in accordance with international protocols.
Garcia said that the evacuations will be timed in coordination with flights to the passengers' country of origin.
At the same press conference, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that a contingency plan was being prepared with the Netherlands for citizens of non-EU countries who do not have available evacuation flights.
He said that authorities had confirmed evacuation flights to Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DWNuSkip next section Spain PM Sanchez to meet WHO chief ahead of evacuations05/09/2026May 9, 2026Spain PM Sanchez to meet WHO chief ahead of evacuations
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is to meet with WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday, Sanchez's office said.
The meeting is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. local time (1500 UTC).
Tedros was set to visit Tenerife in the Canary Islands ahead of the arrival of a Dutch-flagged ship facing a hantavirus outbreak from which over 140 passengers are to be evacuated.
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