3 evacuated from hantavirus cruise ship; new case confirmed in Switzerland

The Hondius has almost 150 people on board and remains marooned off the coast of Cape Verde in west Africa, where it has been since at least Monday, after authorities refused it permission to dock.

Spain’s national government in Madrid had said that the Canary Islands would accept the ship and it would begin a three-to-four-day journey there — but the archipelago’s regional government opposed the move.

“This decision is not based on any technical criteria, nor is there sufficient information to reassure the public or guarantee their safety,” regional leader Fernando Clavijo told radio station COPE.

Clavijo said he had requested an urgent meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, though the decision ultimately rests with the country’s national government which can overrule regional authorities.

While the ship awaits clarity over its destination, three passengers with suspected hantavirus were evacuated Wednesday morning.

Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement that two of them had “acute symptoms.” The Dutch foreign ministry said that “two sick passengers and a possibly infected passenger” were evacuated and transferred to specialized hospitals in Europe.

One medic is on board the Hondius and two more infectious disease specialists from the Netherlands were due to board the ship and remain on board.

A British man is still being treated in an intensive care unit in South Africa.

The three passengers to have died were a Dutch couple and a German national; none have been identified.

The ship set off from Ushuaia, southern Argentina, on April 1 and stopped at multiple remote locations, including mainland Antarctica and the Atlantic islands of Tristan da Cunha and St. Helena.