Foreign media reports that the evacuation of passengers from the Dutch ship ‘MV Hondius’, which has been infected with the deadly ‘Hanta’ virus, began yesterday (10). The luxury passenger ship ‘MV Hondius’ is currently anchored in the Canary Islands of Spain.
Nearly 150 passengers representing 23 countries are trapped on the ship. Foreign media reports that arrangements were made to divide the passengers into groups according to their countries and bring them to land in small boats.
Three of the passengers on the ship infected with the Hanta virus have already died, and another group is receiving treatment in serious condition, it is reported. Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia Gomez, commenting on the ongoing rescue operations, said that everything was going well and that none of the passengers on the ship had reported any symptoms.
The Hanta virus, which is usually spread by rodents, is believed to have infected passengers on the ship in Argentina. The World Health Organization says the virus is unlikely to spread globally. But its fatality rate is as high as 40%.