US plans evacuation flight for Americans on hantavirus ship

View of a TUI Airways plane at the International Airport of Tenerife Sur-Reina Sofia in Granadilla de Abona on the island of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands on May 7, 2026. [AFP]

The United States said Friday it was organizing an evacuation flight for Americans on a hantavirus-struck cruise ship that has sailed to the Canary Islands.

"The Department of State is arranging a repatriation flight to support the safe return of American passengers on this ship," a State Department spokesperson said.

The State Department said it was coordinating with the Spanish government as well as other US federal agencies.

"We are in direct communication with Americans on board and are prepared to provide consular assistance as soon as the ship arrives in Tenerife, Spain," the spokesperson said on customary condition of anonymity.

It was not immediately clear how many Americans were on the ship.

The World Health Organization said earlier that the United States was among 12 countries which had nationals who disembarked the ship at Saint Helena.