New Delhi, May 10 -- Passenger groups and crew members departed a cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak on Sunday, beginning an evacuation to their home nations coordinated by international health authorities and scheduled through Monday.

The travelers, all currently asymptomatic, were transported to Tenerife airport via military transport for departure on government aircraft, with officials stressing that these individuals will remain completely isolated from the general public.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised a mandatory 42-day quarantine for every passenger starting Sunday.

Flights for Spanish and French citizens had taken off by 1130 GMT. Health Minister Monica Garcia identified Canada, the Netherlands, the ...