Luxembourg Air Rescue (LAR) is preparing to repatriate passengers infected with hantavirus from a Dutch cruise ship near Cape Verde, but the operational situation on the ground remains unclear, according to René Closter, president of LAR’s administrative board.
The LAR aircraft – registration LX-RHC – landed at Praia Airport on Tuesday at 6.30pm local time. However, as of Wednesday midday, Closter told RTL that next steps have yet to be finalised. "The situation on site remains confusing", he said.
Rescue teams initially faced uncertainty over whether they would be tasked with transporting one or two patients. Currently, the evacuation of a single Dutch patient to Amsterdam has been confirmed, while a potential second transfer remains under review. The LAR aircraft is equipped to carry up to two patients requiring intensive ventilation, and its crew is specially trained to manage medical transports under quarantine conditions.
Closter noted that coordination involves multiple stakeholders, including the Dutch embassy and Cape Verdean authorities. Compounding the uncertainty, decisions by the Spanish government regarding whether the cruise ship will be permitted to continue to Tenerife are also influencing operations on the ground.
