Spain readies for evacuations as a hantavirus-hit cruise ship heads for Canary Islands

Health workers in protective gear arrive to evacuate patients from the MV Hondius cruise ship at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Misper Apawu/AP hide caption toggle caption Misper Apawu/AP MADRID — Spanish authorities on Friday were preparing to receive more than 140 passengers and crew members on board a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship headed for the Canary Islands, where health officials have said they will perform careful evacuations. The vessel is expected to reach the Spanish island of Tenerife, off the coast of West Africa, on Saturday or Sunday. "They will arrive at a completely isolated, cordoned-off area," said Virginia Barcones, Spain's head of emergency services, on Thursday. The MV Hondius is a Dutch-flagged vessel and Dutch officials said Friday they were also in close contact with the ship's owner and authorities of countries whose citizens are on board. The United States has agreed to send a plane to the Canary Islands to repatriate its 17 citizens from the cruise ship, Barcones said. The British government also said it will charter a plane to evacuate the nearly two dozen British citizens onboard. At least three passengers have died, and several other people are sick. The World Health Organization considers the risk to the wider public from the outbreak as low. Hantavirus is usually spread by the inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings and isn't easily transmitted between people. …