Five European countries announced today, Saturday (May 9, 2026), the dispatch of aircraft to evacuate their nationals from aboard a cruise ship heading to Spain, which is witnessing a Hantavirus outbreak.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands have confirmed sending aircraft to transport their nationals from the stricken ship, while the European Union will send two additional aircraft to evacuate the remaining European citizens.
He added that the United States and Britain are also working on preparing emergency plans and sending aircraft to transport citizens from outside the European Union, whose countries were unable to provide evacuation flights.
For its part, the World Health Organization announced yesterday, Friday, the registration of eight Hantavirus infections linked to the cruise ship, including three deaths, explaining that six cases were confirmed to be infected with the Andes strain of the virus through polymerase chain reaction testing.
The ship was carrying 147 passengers and crew members when the outbreak was first reported on May 2 of this month, while 34 people had already left the ship.
