Repatriation Flights for Hantavirus-Hit Cruise Ship Passengers Begin

Passengers are evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship docked at Granadilla Port in Tenerife, Spain, on May 10.Photographer: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Repatriation flights of passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak began on Sunday.

“We currently have 23 countries that have nationalities on board, either through passengers or crew,” Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the World Health Organization, said on Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing. “The operation started this morning at 7:30 local time, and we’ll continue to about 7:30, 8 o’clock tonight, and then continue tomorrow.”