30 minutes ago

Sarah Rainsford Southern and Eastern Europe correspondent, Granadilla, Tenerife

BBC

A cargo ship sits in the industrial port of Granadilla, Tenerife

Almost a month after the first passenger died of the hantavirus on board the MV Hondius cruise ship, it has finally reached Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Intensive preparations have been under way to receive the ship in the port of Granadilla and help more than 100 people onto shore to be repatriated.

The Hondius arrived near the port before dawn, but even now it won't be permitted to reach shore: a security perimeter of one nautical mile was enforced around the ship as it approached the island.

The complex operation to prevent the rare Andes strain of this virus spreading is described by Spain's health minister as "unprecedented".

Involving 23 countries, it has been meticulously planned for maximum safety and to answer the concerns of disgruntled locals.…