PARIS, May 13 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,700 people aboard a cruise ship in the southwestern French city of Bordeaux have been confined after the death of a passenger who may have succumbed to gastroenteritis, local media reported on Wednesday.
The move came after the cruise ship Ambassador arrived in Bordeaux from the western French city of Brest on Tuesday night, following the death of a passenger, French news channel BFM TV reported, citing health authorities.
According to BFM TV, the ship was carrying 1,233 passengers, most of them British and Irish nationals, as well as 514 crew members. Besides the deceased passenger in his 90s, around 50 people have shown gastrointestinal symptoms. Tests are underway to detect the possible presence of norovirus.
The cruise ship departed from the Shetland Islands in northern Britain on May 6 and made stops in Belfast, Liverpool and Brest before arriving in Bordeaux. It is scheduled to depart from Bordeaux for Spain.
Health authorities said initial onboard tests had ruled out the presence of norovirus, and further analyses are being conducted at a local hospital, adding that they had not ruled out the possibility of a foodborne illness and dismissed any link to hantavirus. ■
