A Spanish Civil Guard officer who participated in the evacuation of passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius, where a hantavirus outbreak was detected, has passed away. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced this on Monday, May 11.
He specified that the man died on May 10 from a heart attack. The deceased was involved in an operation carried out by Spanish authorities in coordination with the WHO. The operation aimed to ensure the safe evacuation of people from the MV Hondius vessel at the port of Puerto de Granadilla on the southern coast of Tenerife and their subsequent repatriation.
“Emergency service personnel at the pier immediately initiated resuscitation efforts, but unfortunately, they were unable to save him,” Ghebreyesus wrote on his X account.
On May 8, two British nationals aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship were diagnosed with hantavirus. On the same day, two new cases of a potential hantavirus infection were identified in Europe. The first case was recorded in a Spanish woman, and the second on the Tristan da Cunha islands.