The Spanish government, in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), plans to finish evacuating all 118 passengers aboard the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius cruise ship on Monday, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
The evacuation began on the Spanish island of Tenerife on Sunday following a deadly outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus. So far, 94 passengers of 19 nationalities have been successfully sent back to their home countries.
The last 24 passengers are set to be evacuated on Monday -- six are returning to Australia and another 18 will be flown to the Netherlands.
Spanish health authorities said they were trying to simplify the transit process for the passengers and shorten their stay in Tenerife, to reduce the risk of virus exposure for residents there.
The remaining 34 crew members will stay on board and continue their journey to the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where the ship will undergo thorough disinfection upon arrival. Their departure from Tenerife will mark the official conclusion of the evacuation.
Evacuation of passengers from hantavirus-hit cruise ship to conclude Monday
China's Ministry of Water Resources activated a Level-IV flood emergency response for six provincial-level regions Sunday.
The response was launched in Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan and Guizhou.
The office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Sunday activated a Level-IV flood emergency response for south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and sent a work team to southwest China's Chongqing Municipality to guide flood control work.
China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe response.
From Sunday to Tuesday, heavy rainfall will sweep the six provincial-level regions, with parts of the areas expected to see extremely heavy rainstorms.
Water levels of multiple rivers across the regions are set to rise, with small and medium-sized rivers in rainstorm-hit areas at risk of floods exceeding warning levels. Hilly areas are also prone to mountain torrent disasters.
The ministry has issued notices to local water authorities and river basin management bodies to roll out targeted flood prevention arrangements.
China activates Level-IV flood emergency response for 6 provincial-level regions
