90-Second Read: Passengers evacuated from Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship begin flying home from Canary Islands

Passengers evacuated from the Hantavirus-hit cruise ship have started flying home aboard military and government planes after the vessel anchored in the Canary Islands. Hours later, a plane that evacuated French passengers landed in Paris, where it was met by emergency vehicles. Three people have died since the outbreak began, and five passengers who left the ship earlier are infected with Hantavirus. One of the five French passengers developed symptoms on the flight, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in a statement, and all were put into strict isolation with plans to be tested. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases.

The WHO is recommending that passengers' home countries "have active monitoring and follow-up, which means daily health checks, either at home or in a specialized facility. Earlier, for example, the French Foreign Ministry said its passengers would be hospitalized for 72 hours of monitoring, then would quarantine at home for 45 days. Elsewhere, British Army medics parachuted onto the remote South Atlantic territory of Tristan da Cunha, where one of the 221 residents has a suspected case of Hantavirus. Spanish passengers were the first to leave the MV Hondius following its arrival in Tenerife, the largest island in the Spanish archipelago off the West African coast. The planes arriving in Tenerife were to fly out passengers from more than 20 countries in an evacuation effort that was expected to last.

Earlier, officials from the Spanish Health Ministry, the World Health Organization and the cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions had said none of the more than 140 people who were then on the Hondius had shown symptoms of the virus. Authorities have said the disembarking passengers and crew members will be checked for symptoms and will be forbidden from having any contact with the local population. Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings, and the disease not easily transmitted between people. Meanwhile, a Spanish woman in the southeastern province of Alicante suspected of being infected tested negative for Hantavirus, Spanish health authorities said Saturday. It's been great seeing all the buses coming out and people really happy to be on land again and being repatriated," said Diana Rojas.

Video obtained by The Associated Press showed passengers on the tarmac donning similar suits and being sprayed down with disinfectant. Passengers were relieved to be on their way home, another WHO official said. Passengers and disembarking crew members left behind their luggage and were allowed to take only a small bag with essentials, a cellphone, a charger and documentation. The journey to Rotterdam takes about five days, the cruise company said. After the passenger came down with symptoms, the prime minister said the five would be kept in the hospital "until further orders." Passengers and crew from the U.K.