A British national who departed the hantavirus cruise ship ahead of schedule is unaccounted for as health officials race to track down the individual. Seven Britishpassengers disembarked from the MV Hondiuspartway through the voyage alongside a woman who subsequently died, it has emerged.
A total of 29 people left the ship when it docked at the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena, among them a Dutch womanwho fell ill and later passed away.The woman had been accompanying her husband's body, which was being repatriated following his death aboard the ship on April 11.
READ MORE:Major hantavirus cruise update as more Brits confirmed to have left ship
READ MORE:Hantavirus cruise update as passengers travel the world – race against time
A spokesperson for the UK Health Security Agency confirmed to The Mirror that of the seven Britons, two are nowself-isolating back in the UK, four remain in St Helena, and efforts to locate the seventh person are continuing.
They said: "We are aware of seven British Nationals who disembarked the ship at St Helena on April 24. Two of these individuals are now self-isolating in the UK while the others have not yet returned.
"Four of these individuals remain in St Helena and we are in touch with the relevant health officials to provide advice on contact management. Tracing efforts are ongoing for the seventh individual, who we know has not yet returned to the UK."
The 30 people who disembarked at St Helena represented 12 different nations. The cruise ship is now en route to the Canary Islands following a stop at Cape Verde. Five of the eight suspected hantavirus cases from the vessel have now been confirmed.
A total of 19 British nationals were recordedas passengers aboard the MV Hondius, which was voyaging from Argentina to Cape Verde, alongside four British crew members.
Two British nationals have since been medically evacuated, including crew member Martin Anstee, 56.
Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
