MV Hondius Evacuees Head to Netherlands After Australia Flight Cancelled

(MENAFN) Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said Monday that all remaining passengers aboard the MV Hondius, which has been connected to a hantavirus outbreak, will now head to the Netherlands after a scheduled repatriation flight to Australia was canceled.

While speaking in Tenerife, Garcia explained that officials had originally arranged two separate flights — one destined for Australia and another for the Netherlands. However, the Australian aircraft was unable to arrive before the local operational cutoff time of 7 p.m. (1700 GMT).

“As a result, the Netherlands flight will also take the citizens who were supposed to travel on the Australian flight,” Garcia said.

She initially stated that 54 individuals were still aboard the ship, adding that 22 were expected to leave the vessel while 32 others would remain onboard and later depart for the Netherlands.

In a later update posted on the social media platform X, Garcia revised the numbers, saying 28 of the remaining people would disembark in the Canary Islands on Monday, while 26 would stay aboard for the voyage to the Netherlands.

According to authorities, only six passengers remain among those still on the ship — including four Australians, one British citizen, and one New Zealander. The remainder are crew members representing several nationalities.

Garcia also noted that the vessel completed refueling operations Monday morning and was being supplied ahead of its departure.

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