First Passengers Leave Hantavirus Cruise Ship

Passengers started disembarking on Sunday from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship anchored off Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands. An AP journalist at the scene saw people reaching land after leaving the ship. Nobody among the more than 140 people on the MV Hondius is showing symptoms of the virus, say authorities from Spain, the World Health Organization, and cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions. Everyone leaving will be taken off the ship only when evacuation flights are ready to fly them to their destinations.

Those disembarking and personnel working at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife were wearing protective gear during the evacuation process, including face masks, hazmat suits, and respirators. Spanish nationals were the first to leave the ship, authorities said, and were ferried off in small launch boats that carry between five and 10 people. "The entire operation is proceeding normally," Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said.

Authorities are aiming to complete the evacuation flights between Sunday and Monday. Passengers of more than 20 different nationalities are aboard, including Americans, who will be quarantined at a medical center in Nebraska. Three people have died since the outbreak, and five passengers who left the ship are infected with hantavirus, which can cause life-threatening illness.