Spain said it had begun bringing Spanish passengers ashore from the cruise ship that was hit by a hantavirus outbreak anchored near Tenerife on Sunday, with groups of nationals from other countries to follow.
Spanish nationals were the first to disembark on small boats in groups of five and be taken to shore, where they were transferred onto buses and taken to the local airport.
The passengers, who are not showing any symptoms of the virus, will board a flight back to Madrid on a Spanish military plane and taken to hospital to be quarantined, government officials said, emphasising that they will have no contact with members of the public.
The luxury cruise ship left for Spain on Wednesday from the coast of Cape Verde, after the World Health Organization and the European Union asked the country to manage the evacuation of passengers following the detection of a hantavirus outbreak.
Countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, the U.S., the UK, and the Netherlands confirmed on Saturday that they had sent planes to evacuate their citizens, though local government officials in the Canaries said not all planes had arrived by Sunday morning.
