'Hantavirus ship' evacuation plane makes unexpected stop in Gran Canaria

A plane carrying two people evacuated from the virus-ravaged cruise liner MV Hondius off Cape Verde was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Gran Canaria this Wednesday afternoon after being refused permission to land by Morocco.

The Learjet 45 had been scheduled to refuel in Marrakech after health personnel removed the pair in hazmat suits on stretchers.

But it ended up having to reroute to Gando Air Base, a Spanish Air Force installation on the east coast of Gran Canaria, after the Moroccan refusal.

It was due to leave again for its final destination of Holland around 5.40pm local time this Wednesday.

It was not immediately clear this afternoon if a seriously ill British doctor was on board.

His scheduled transfer to a hospital in the Tenerife capital Santa Cruz was postponed early this morning before it was announced he would be taken instead to the Netherlands.

As well as the 56-year-old Brit, a 41-year-old Dutchman and a 65-year-old German were also evacuated from the Dutch-owned cruise liner to Amsterdam.

Spain’s Health Minister Mónica García confirmed earlier today the unnamed medic’s condition ahead of the emergency airlift had improved.

She said: “The British doctor was yesterday in a more critical condition but he has been stabilised and won’t be transferred to Spain now in line with the Dutch government’s request to us, but is instead being transferred to Holland."

It was not immediately clear why the Moroccan authorities had refused to let the Learjet 45 land.

Footage published online showed it touching down at Gando Air Base.

The Dutch-owned MV Hondius is scheduled to dock in Tenerife on Saturday, with midday now being given as the time it will reach the southern port of Granadilla de Abona.

All the foreigners on the ship, including the 20 Brits on board, will be repatriated to their home countries once they reach dry land unless their health deteriorates.

The 13 Spanish passengers and one crew member on board will be flown on a military plane to an airport on the outskirts of Madrid before being taken to a military hospital in the Spanish capital and quarantined for as long as necessary.

Speaking earlier today at a press conference, a day after Spain agreed to receive the cruise liner instead of Cape Verde, García said: “All the passengers and crew that remain on the ship at present are asymptomatic.

“Once the evacuation of those with symptoms in Cape Verde has concluded, the ship will continue to the Canary Islands where it is expected to arrive in around three days in the secondary Tenerife port of Granadilla de Abona.

“It’s a port with very little activity, a secondary port, which is 10 minutes away from Tenerife South Airport.

“Once it’s arrived, a joint operation of medical evaluation will be launched along with an evacuation operation for all the foreign passengers via a European Civil Protection mechanism unless their medical condition renders this impossible."

She added measures would be adopted to avoid any contact between those on board the ship and the local population.