French authorities on Wednesday allowed asymptomatic passengers to disembark a British cruise ship that had been in lockdown after docking in the French city of Bordeaux, following an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness that killed a 90-year-old passenger. Regional health authorities earlier said there was no reason to link the outbreak to a ship that came from Belfast and Liverpool with the hantavirus cluster.
Issued on: 13/05/2026 - 13:34
Modified: 13/05/2026 - 22:21
French authorities on Wednesday allowed asymptomatic passengers to leave a British cruise ship, saying a gastrointestinal virus was behind an outbreak of sickness that came after an elderly man died of a heart attack.
Earlier, authorities had ordered a lockdown for the more than 1,700 passengers and crew on the vessel, but insisted there was no connection with the hantavirus outbreak suspected of killing three people on the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius cruise ship, which has sparked international alarm.
