'People are quite nervous' - Irish passenger onboard cruise ship in France speaks out after suspected gastroenteritis outbreak

"The Ambassador Cruise Line ship is being held in Bordeaux after more than 49 passengers and crew fell ill from gastroenteritis. The woman, from Belfast, who wished to remain anonymous, boarded the ship, named Ambition, in Belfast on Friday. The ship then travelled to Liverpool the following day. It had originally been due to leave Bordeaux for Ferrol in Spain, before travelling to Gijon and Bilbao."

"Ambition was then scheduled to return to France with a stop at La Rochelle on May 19, another stop at Lorient the following day, before returning to Belfast on May 22. One passenger has died, French media, including BFM TV, said. There is no reason to link what looks like a stomach flu outbreak on a ship that came from Belfast and Liverpool with the hantavirus cluster on the luxury Hondius ship that travelled between Argentina and the Canary Islands, the regional health authority said in a statement."

"The ban on disembarking passengers is temporary and pending the outcome of medical tests, officials said. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, the woman who is travelling with her mother said the only updates they have received have been via announcement over the intercom service on the ship. "We got into Bordeaux, I think it was about halfway this morning, but there was an announcement at 8am from the captain just saying due to what's going on we're not allowed off," she said."

""Then there was another announcement around 10am saying the French government or scientists had been in taking a few tests and until we get the results of those, we can't get off the ship. "The only information we've really had is from the news reports that we've seen online. That's what's told us about the actual cases. "I saw reports my husband sent me saying there were people isolated. There are three people isolating on my deck. I've been talking to a few people and there's others scattered around as well, so I don't really know what that's all about to be fair.""

More than 49 passengers and crew became ill with gastroenteritis aboard the Ambassador Cruise Line ship Ambition. The ship was held in Bordeaux after one passenger died. The woman traveling from Belfast boarded the ship in Belfast on Friday, and it then traveled to Liverpool the next day. The itinerary included stops in Spain and later returns to France with planned stops at La Rochelle and Lorient before returning to Belfast. Disembarkation was temporarily banned while medical tests were conducted. Officials said there was no reason to link the stomach flu outbreak to a separate hantavirus cluster on another cruise ship. Updates were provided mainly through announcements and news reports.

Read at Irish Independent