France confines 1,700 people on cruise ship after death of 90-year-old woman
Dozens of people also suffered stomach pains aboard the Ambition, most of whose 1,233 passengers are from Britain or Ireland, which arrived at the western port of Bordeaux on Tuesday, with 514 Indian crew members also on board.
The Ambition cruise ship in France
French authorities Wednesday confined more than 1,700 passengers and crew of a British cruise ship docked in Bordeaux after a 90-year-old woman died. The information was released by officials, who played down any link to the hantavirus scare.
Dozens of people also suffered stomach pains aboard the Ambition, most of whose 1,233 passengers are from Britain or Ireland, which arrived at the western port of Bordeaux on Tuesday, with 514 Indian crew also on board.
However, health authorities said there was no connection to the hantavirus outbreak suspected to have caused the deaths of three passengers on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, which sailed from Argentina.
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Officials said a 90-year-old female passenger aboard the Ambition cruise ship, operated by Ambassador Cruise Line, died, and about 50 people showed symptoms of stomach problems.
Initial tests ruled out an outbreak of norovirus, a highly contagious form of gastroenteritis that causes vomiting and diarrhea, but secondary tests were still ongoing, they added.
Food poisoning has not been ruled out.
Ambition passengers' symptoms
The ship, which sailed from the Shetland Islands in northern Scotland on May 6, stopped in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Liverpool, England, before arriving in Bordeaux, from where it was scheduled to depart for Spain.
According to an AFP reporter, no security measures were implemented around the ship while it was docked in Bordeaux on Wednesday. Passengers were taking pictures of the French city from the deck.
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