Irish among 1,700 confined to cruise ship after suspected norovirus outbreak
claireporter
French authorities have confined more than 1,700 people — mostly British and Irish tourists — on board a cruise ship in Bordeaux following the death of one passenger and a suspected outbreak of norovirus.
Carrying 1,233 passengers and about 514 crew members, the ship departed from the Shetland Islands on May 6 and stopped in Belfast, Liverpool, and Brest before arriving in Bordeaux on Tuesday.
About 50 travellers have shown symptoms consistent with the virus. One person, aged 90, has died, according to reports in and .
Initial tests on board the liner ruled out the presence of norovirus, but further tests are under way, according to health authorities.
The Ambassador Cruise Line ship had been scheduled to continue on to Spain.
At midday on Wednesday, it was docked in Bordeaux city centre.
Symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhoea, were reported on May 11 while the ship was in Brest, according to health authorities.
The victim, aged in their 90s, died before the ship reached the Breton port.
