Passengers on the cruise ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak started to leave the vessel Sunday morning at the Spanish island of Tenerife, authorities said.
The passengers were being screened by public health authorities before being put on planes to be repatriated to their home countries.
“The disembarkment of the first group of MV Hondius passengers has started,” World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X on Sunday. “Experts on the ground are working with the Spanish Health Ministry on the epidemiological assessment of the passengers and coordinating charter flights with the Interior Ministry.”
Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said the disembarkation was “proceeding normally” and that all passengers on board the MV Hondius were still asymptomatic.
