Mystery illness strikes British cruise ship - more than 1,700 now quarantined in France

More than 1,700 passengers and crew have been quarantined aboard a British cruise ship docked in France after an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness left dozens suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea.

The vessel, an Ambassador Cruise Line ship, docked in the southwestern French city of Bordeaux on Tuesday with 1,187 passengers on board, most of them British or Irish, alongside a crew of 514.

Forty-eight passengers were reported to be experiencing symptoms pointing to gastrointestinal illness, with the precise cause yet to be determined by testing.

Is the Ambition outbreak linked to the hantavirus scare?

The cruise line moved to distance the outbreak from the hantavirus scare that has sparked international alarm following the suspected deaths of three passengers aboard the Dutch vessel MV Hondius, which sailed from Argentina. Ambassador reportedly said there was no connection between the two incidents.

Separately, French health authorities acknowledged the death of a British man aged 92 during the voyage, while stressing that investigators had found nothing to connect his death to the illness affecting other passengers.

Officials stated: "At this stage, no link has been established with the gastroenteritis episode."

What illness is affecting passengers on the Ambition?

According to the Telegraph, test results came back negative for norovirus, an extremely infectious stomach illness whose symptoms include vomiting and diarrhoea and which can result in fatally low blood pressure - a particular risk for older and very young patients. Secondary tests were continuing at the time of the announcement, and food poisoning had not been excluded as a cause.

The cruise had begun with a departure from the Shetland Islands on 6 May, with the ship calling at Belfast on Friday before heading to Liverpool on Saturday. Ambassador said the number of cases rose following the Liverpool stop. The worst symptoms were reported on Monday, while the ship was still in Brest, in France's northwestern Brittany region, before it sailed on to Bordeaux on the same day the 92-year-old passenger died.

Why were passengers stopped from leaving the ship?

Upon arrival in Bordeaux, French health authorities requested a routine review of the ship's health records. Laboratory samples were transferred to Bordeaux university hospital for analysis, a process authorities said would take at least six hours to complete.

Étienne Guyot, the state prefect, announced he had moved to suspend the disembarkation of passengers and crew and restrict contact with the port as a precautionary measure, citing the "contagious nature of gastroenteritis-type illnesses" and the need to await test results. Local shore authorities ordered everyone aboard, passengers and crew alike, to stay on the ship while the investigation was under way.

Every shore excursion planned for the day was scrapped, with the cruise line pledging to refund in full any passenger who had booked a trip ashore.

What is Ambassador Cruise Line doing about the outbreak?

The operator said it was treating the situation "extremely seriously," with enhanced sanitation and prevention protocols introduced following the first reports of illness.

It added: "We are providing every support to the deceased's friends and family and extend our most sincere condolences to them at this difficult time."

Local media reported no security presence around the vessel as it sat in Bordeaux on Wednesday, with passengers seen photographing the French city from the deck. Ambassador said those on board would be permitted to disembark "once clearance is granted."