Thousands trapped on ‘plagued’ cruise ship anchored off African paradise island over fears of horror cholera outbreak
THOUSANDS of passengers have been trapped onboard a cruise ship over fears of a suspected cholera outbreak.
The Norwegian Dawn has been floating off Mauritius after authorities barred it from docking at its ports amid fears of a “health risk.”
The decision came after the port authority took samples from about 15 passengers who were in isolation on board as they suffered from vomiting and diarrhoea symptomps.
At least 2,000 passengers and 1,000 crew are onboard the Norwegian Cruise Line Holding ship.
The Norwegian Dawn had been scheduled to dock in Port Louis on Sunday, but since it had not gone to Reunion Island, it arrived in Port Louis a day earlier, the Mauritius Ports Authority said in a statement.
It read: “The decision not to allow the cruise ship access to the quay was taken in order to avoid any health risks.
“The health and safety of passengers as well as that of the country as a whole are of the utmost to the authorities.
A frustrated mum on the ship said the passengers were informed there could be a cholera outbreak onboard and that they could be quarantined for up to ten days if confirmed.
Dutch Esther Verdaas told AD: “You can imagine that the atmosphere among the passengers is not pleasant.
“Flights are being missed, people have lost money on hotels booked in Mauritius.
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“Guests are angry, rebellious, sad. These are luxury problems, of course. But what I find difficult is that so much is unclear.
“Can we go home? When? How? Where do we get tickets?”
A spokesperson for the U.S.-headquartered Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement that during the ship’s trip to South Africa on February 13, some passengers had experienced mild symptoms of a stomach-related illness.
Once in Port Louis, the ship’s management worked with Mauritian authorities to make sure precautions were in place and all on board were okay, the spokesperson said.
The port authority said its test results would be known in 48 hours.
Officials at Mauritius’ health ministry were not immediately reachable for comment.
The ship has 2,184 passengers and 1,026 crew members.
Of these, about 2,000 passengers would have disembarked in Port Louis after completing their cruise while another 2,279 new passengers had been expected to board the ship, the port authority said.
“Passengers who were due to board the ‘Norwegian Dawn’ and begin their cruise from Mauritius today will not be able to do so due to potential health risks,” it said.
Those who were disembarking or joining the cruise will now do so on Feb. 27, the Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson said.