Two Indian nationals aboard a Dutch-flagged vessel caught in a Hantavirus scare near Spain’s Canary Islands are healthy and asymptomatic, the Indian Embassy in Madrid said on Sunday, even as the crew members were evacuated to the Netherlands for quarantine.
The vessel, MV Hondius, carrying around 150 people including two Indian nationals, arrived in Spain amid concerns linked to a Hantavirus outbreak.
According to the Indian Embassy, the ship anchored off the coast of Spain’s Canary Islands as authorities initiated health safety procedures in coordination with World Health Organisation protocols and Spanish authorities.
CREW MEMBERS EVACUATED TO NETHERLANDS
In a statement posted by India in Spain, the Embassy said the two Indian nationals were travelling as crew members on the vessel and had been moved to the Netherlands as part of precautionary health measures.
“The two Indian nationals are healthy and asymptomatic,” the Embassy said.
It added that, according to information shared by the Spanish National Centre for Emergency Monitoring and Coordination (CENEM), the Indian crew members had been evacuated to the Netherlands “where they will be quarantined as per relevant health safety protocol”.
PASSENGERS DISEMBARKED UNDER WHO PROTOCOLS
The Embassy said passengers onboard the vessel disembarked in accordance with protocols established by the WHO and Spanish authorities after the ship anchored near the Canary Islands.
“The passengers onboard disembarked from the ship in accordance with the protocol established by WHO and Spanish authorities,” the statement read.
No infections involving the two Indian nationals have been reported so far.
EMBASSY MONITORING SITUATION
The Indian Embassy in Madrid said officials were in constant touch with Spanish authorities and the Indian crew members to monitor the situation.
“The Ambassador is in close contact with the Spanish authorities and the 2 Indian nationals and is regularly monitoring the situation to assure the well-being and safety of the Indian nationals,” the statement said.
The development comes amid heightened global attention around infectious disease monitoring and maritime health protocols involving international vessels.
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