Authorities say all passengers evacuated to Netherlands from virus-stricken cruise ship tested negative

Passengers and crew of the deadly hantavirus-hit MV Hondius who arrived in the Netherlands have all tested negative for the Andean virus, health authorities said Thursday.

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment said all passengers evacuated to the Netherlands tested negative for the dangerous variant of the hantavirus, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported.

The group of 26 passengers landed in Eindhoven on Tuesday as part of an evacuation effort as the MV Hondius sailed under the Dutch flag.

The Netherlands organized three flights, while the first, which arrived Sunday carried 26 passengers from the Hondius. Eight people with Dutch nationality were on that flight.

Hantavirus is a rare disease usually transmitted through infected rodents or their droppings, though the strain responsible for the current outbreak can also spread between humans.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified the outbreak as a Level 3 emergency response, the agency's lowest emergency activation level.

The outbreak, involving the Andes strain of hantavirus, has resulted in five confirmed cases, including three deaths, according to officials from the World Health Organization (WHO).