Another hantavirus cruise evacuee is confirmed to have the disease, with Spaniard quarantined in Madrid as international spread continues

By IMOGEN GARFINKEL - SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 07:12, 12 May 2026 | Updated: 07:22, 12 May 2026 Another evacuee from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship has been confirmed to have the deadly disease, according to Spain's health ministry. A Spaniard, who was quarantining in Madrid after being evacuated from the luxury MV Hondius, provisionally tested positive for the rat-borne disease on Monday. It marks the third case of previously symptomless passengers testing positive after they were repatriated to their home countries. On Monday, an American and a French national who had previously returned home tested positive. The French woman, who had no initial symptoms, is now in 'serious condition' with hantavirus, according to the French government, after her health rapidly declined in hospital.  And a second American national on Sunday's repatriation flight has also shown mild symptoms, according to the US health department, who added that both passengers travelled back in 'biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution'.  The cruise ship left Tenerife for the Netherlands on Monday after its final six passengers - four Australians, one Briton and one New Zealander - and some crew members were evacuated.  Three people - a Dutch couple and a German woman - have died after travelling on the vessel, two of whom were confirmed to have had the virus.  A passenger of the cruise ship MV Hondius sits with his mask off on a bus on the way to the airport, at the port of Granadilla de Abona, in Tenerife, Spain, May 10 Passengers from the MV Hondius, including one with his mask lowered, wave aboard a military bus after being transferred by boat to the industrial port of Granadilla de Abona on the island of Tenerife The bus carrying the British passengers and crew being repatriated from the MV Hondius makes its way to Arrowe Park Hospital on May 10, in Birkenhead, England This is a breaking news story. More to follow.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.