Stomach bug blamed for cruise outbreak, lockdown lifted

French authorities have allowed asymptomatic passengers to leave a British cruise ship, saying a gastrointestinal virus was behind an outbreak of sickness that came after an elderly man died of a heart attack.

Earlier, authorities had ordered a lockdown for the more than 1,700 passengers and crew on the vessel, but insisted there was no connection with the hantavirus outbreak suspected of killing three people on the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius cruise ship, which has sparked international alarm.

Testing confirmed the outbreak on the Ambition, a cruise ship anchored in the port of Bordeaux in western France, was "a gastro-intestinal infection of viral origin", the local government and regional health agency said in a statement.

They said there were no severe cases, and that asymptomatic individuals were now free to disembark, but that those infected were required to remain in isolation on board.

News that a 92-year-old British passenger had died on the ship as dozens of others suffered upset stomachs initially caused concern.

But health authorities said the man had suffered a heart attack and that his death appeared unrelated to the illnesses.

"At this stage, no link has been established with the gastroenteritis episode," they said.

Port authorities said his body remained on board, "in accordance with international conventions".

'People just going about as normal', says passenger from Belfast

Authorities said that since Monday, 80 people on the ship had suffered from "symptoms consistent with an acute digestive infection".

They said the lockdown order had been issued as an "abundance of caution" and to "avoid psychosis", given international worry over the hantavirus outbreak on the Hondius, which set sail from Argentina and is now heading back to the Netherlands after being evacuated.

The Ambition, which is operated by the UK-based Ambassador Cruise Line company, arrived in Bordeaux yesterday with 1,233 passengers, mostly from Britain and Ireland, and 514 crew.

One passenger enduring the lockdown, Seos Guilidhe, a 52-year-old from Belfast, sent reporters a message via Facebook as he was "playing bingo".

"We are onboard with extra sanitation guidelines in place. It is not as bad as it was during Covid. People just going about as normal," he wrote, referring to lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic.

Passengers could be seen taking pictures of the French city from the deck.

Mr Guilidhe later messaged: "We are allowed off the ship, restrictions lifted."

Others were less fortunate.

"Two of us in one cabin with the bug is a challenge," an infected passenger posted on Facebook.

Passengers on board the Ambition showed peak symptoms on Monday, when the ship was docked in Brest, officials said.

The deceased man died before the cruise liner arrived at the port in France's northwestern Brittany region.

The ship, which left the Shetland Islands in the north of Scotland on 6 May, stopped in Belfast and Liverpool in England before reaching Bordeaux, from where it was scheduled to depart for Spain.

It was initially supposed to dock back in Liverpool on 22 May.

The cruise line company said on its Facebook page its figures showed an increase in cases of illness after guests embarked in Liverpool on Saturday.

A statement from Ambassador Cruise Line to RTÉ News earlier said that "enhanced sanitation and prevention protocols were immediately implemented across the ship in line with established public health procedures following the initial reports of illness".

"The comprehensive health and safety measures introduced include increased cleaning and disinfection measures in public areas, assisted service in selected dining venues and ongoing guidance to guests regarding hand hygiene, including regular hand washing, use of hand sanitisers and the prompt reporting of any symptoms to the onboard medical team.

"Any guests or crew presenting symptoms are being supported by the ship's medical staff and isolated as appropriate in accordance with EU SHIPSHAN public health protocols. Medical consultations relating to GII are being provided free of charge."