France confines more than 1,700 on British cruise ship in Bordeaux after gastroenteritis outbreak

PARIS (AP) — Over 1,700 passengers and crew on a British cruise ship were ordered to remain on board after an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness, French authorities said Wednesday.

They dismissed any link to a deadly hantavirus outbreak on another vessel that has put European health authorities on alert.

The Ambition was midway through a 14-night cruise from Belfast and Liverpool that was due to take in ports in northern Spain and along France’s Atlantic coast.

It reached Bordeaux on Tuesday evening, according to the operator, Ambassador Cruise Line.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracks outbreaks on voyages that call on U.S. and foreign ports, recorded 23 gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships last year. Most were caused by norovirus, including a new strain.

Last week, a Caribbean Princess cruise ship reported a norovirus outbreak during a voyage with more than 3,100 passengers aboard, according to the U.S. health agency. More than 140 passengers and 15 crew members fell ill during the trip, which ended Monday, the CDC said.

The prefect of Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and Gironde department, Étienne Guyot, suspended disembarkation from the Ambition and restricted the vessel’s interactions with the port of Bordeaux.

He acted on the recommendation of the regional health agency, the Agence Régionale de Santé Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the joint statement said.

Up to 50 passengers showed symptoms consistent with acute digestive infection after the ship’s captain alerted French authorities on Tuesday evening, the statement said.

Those affected were treated by the ship’s doctor and isolated in their cabins.

A medical team was dispatched to the vessel, and samples are being analyzed at a Bordeaux hospital.

“There is no reason to establish a link between this outbreak aboard a cruise ship from Belfast and Liverpool and the hantavirus cases detected aboard the MV Hondius,” the joint statement said.

The hantavirus outbreak aboard the Hondius last month prompted a multicountry response and the hospitalization of passengers in Britain, France, Spain and the United States. Three passengers died and there have been nine confirmed cases, with another two suspected.

An update is expected later on Wednesday, once analysis results are available.

Ambassador Cruise Line said earlier Wednesday that a 92-year-old male passenger had died on Sunday, although he had not reported symptoms consistent with the illness, and that his cause of death was yet to be established by a coroner.

The company said 48 passengers and one crew member were displaying gastrointestinal symptoms as of late Wednesday morning.

Ambassador said its data showed cases had risen after passengers boarded in Liverpool on May 9. All shore excursions at Bordeaux had been canceled and affected passengers offered full refunds, the company said.

Ambassador Cruise Line, a British operator targeting passengers over 50, was founded in 2021.

Associated Press writer Jonathan Poet in Philadelphia contributed.

Passengers stand aboard the British cruise ship Ambition, as French authorities have ordered 1,700 passengers and crew to stay on board due to a gastrointestinal illness outbreak, in Bordeaux, southwestern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Caroline Blumberg)

A barrier is set in front of the British cruise ship Ambition, as French authorities have ordered 1,700 passengers and crew to stay on board due to a gastrointestinal illness outbreak, in Bordeaux, southwestern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Caroline Blumberg)

People walk past the British cruise ship Ambition, as French authorities have ordered 1,700 passengers and crew to stay on board due to a gastrointestinal illness outbreak, in Bordeaux, southwestern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Caroline Blumberg)

Passengers stand aboard the British cruise ship Ambition, as French authorities have ordered 1,700 passengers and crew to stay on board due to a gastrointestinal illness outbreak, in Bordeaux, southwestern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Caroline Blumberg)

A barrier is set in front of the British cruise ship Ambition, as French authorities have ordered 1,700 passengers and crew to stay on board due to a gastrointestinal illness outbreak, in Bordeaux, southwestern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Caroline Blumberg)

A view of an empty deck of the British cruise ship the Ambition after 1,700 passengers and crew were ordered to remain on board after an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness, in the port of Bordeaux, France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (Kevin Starrs via AP)

A man walks on a deck of the British cruise ship the Ambition after 1,700 passengers and crew were ordered to remain on board after an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness, in the port of Bordeaux, France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (Kevin Starrs via AP)

MONACO (AP) — Kimi Antonelli's rise to the top of Formula 1 continued in bizarre circumstances as the 19-year-old Mercedes driver won a much-delayed Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday.

Antonelli was on course for victory with 10 laps remaining when the race was red-flagged after parts of the asphalt broke away and two cars crashed in quick succession, one of them third-placed Charles Leclerc.

After the race resumed from a standing start, Antonelli took his fifth Grand Prix win in a row and extended his already vast standings lead. He's the youngest F1 winner in Monaco.

“Thank you so much guys, the car was a beast today," he told the Mercedes team.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton crossed the line second and Alpine's Pierre Gasly third. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar was moved up to third due to a penalty for Gasly.

Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell missed the points for the second race running after an engine failure while battling Antonelli for the lead of last month’s Canadian Grand Prix.

The track damage put a decidedly un-glamorous twist on one of F1’s most prestigious races as drivers waited in the pit lane, officials gazed at the damaged asphalt and a road-sweeping machine inched along the circuit clearing away loose stones.

There was more confusion as numerous drivers received time penalties or were under investigation, meaning the final standings remained uncertain.

Hadjar was facing an investigation after the race for a potential breach of red-flag rules. That raised the possibility that McLaren’s Oscar Piastri could be promoted from fifth on track to third Sunday evening, ahead of Hadjar and Gasly.

Russell had been second in the standings before the race but ended the day in 13th after a hefty penalty for failing to serve an earlier penalty properly.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, of Italy, stands at the pit after the red flag during the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix race at the Monaco racetrack, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (Yves Herman, Pool Photo via AP)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, of the Netherlands, reacts at the pit during the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix race at the Monaco racetrack, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (Yves Herman, Pool Photo via AP)

Italy's Andrea Kimi Antonelli steers his Mercedes as he leads during the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix race at the Monaco racetrack, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Italy's Andrea Kimi Antonelli steers his Mercedes during the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix race at the Monaco racetrack, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

Williams driver Carlos Sainz of Spain during the third free practice for the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, at the Monaco racetrack, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain smiles after the qualifying session for the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, at the Monaco racetrack, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands smiles after the qualifying session for the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, at the Monaco racetrack, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy steers his car during the qualifying session for the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, at the Monaco racetrack, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates after setting the pole position during the qualifying session for the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, at the Monaco racetrack, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)