Sick British crew member to be urgently evacuated as hantavirus-hit cruise ship heads to Spain

Spain says MV Hondius will be received in Canary Islands and passengers and crew treated before repatriation

• What is hantavirus, the infection thought to have killed three on cruise ship?

A British crew member who became ill after a suspected outbreak of hantavirus on a luxury cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean will be medically evacuated, as the World Health Organization (WHO) said rare human-to-human spread of the deadly virus may have occurred on the vessel.

The crew member is being prepared for medical evacuation from the MV Hondius along with a Dutch colleague, with Dutch authorities overseeing the operation.