A British Landing Party Has Landed On The Island Of Tristan Da Cunha.
- 11.05.2026, 8:30
Medics came to the aid of a man with suspected hantavirus.
British army medics have parachuted onto the remote Atlantic Ocean island of Tristan da Cunha to treat a British citizen with suspected hantavirus, writes BBC.
The man left the cruise ship MV Hondius, on board which there was an outbreak of the virus in mid-April. He has returned to Tristan da Cunha, where the man lives.
This archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean is the most remote British overseas territory. Along with Easter Island, it is also the world's most remote territory from the mainland with a permanent population.
Tristan da Cunha is home to 221 British citizens. There is no airfield there, so it can only be reached by sea.
But that option was not suitable in this case because the sick man was running out of oxygen, operation coordinator Ed Cartwright, commander of the 16th Airborne Assault Brigade, told the BBC.
What is known about the sick man
He first developed symptoms two weeks after disembarking from the ship. The man's condition is reported to be stable and he is self-isolating.
The WHO has confirmed six cases of hantavirus infection, as well as two other suspected cases - including a Briton on the Tristan da Cunha. Two Britons with confirmed diagnoses are being treated in the Netherlands and South Africa.
The cruise ship MV Hondius set sail on April 1 on a cruise from Argentina to Antarctica. Three people - an elderly married couple from the Netherlands and a German national - died as a result of the outbreak on board.
On Saturday, a British RAF A400M aircraft also dropped oxygen on the island because its supplies there were at "critically low levels," Britain's Ministry of Defense said.
Hantavirus is a group of viruses carried by rodents. Most varieties are not transmitted from person to person, but it is possible in the case of the Andean strain, which has been identified in several passengers on a Dutch cruise ship.
A British man living on the Tristan da Cunha left the ship on April 14, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
On April 28, he developed diarrhea, followed two days later by a fever. He is now in a stable condition.
Six military paratroopers and two medics from the 16th Airborne Assault Brigade were landed on the Tristan da Cunha archipelago.
A RAF A400M military transport aircraft, supported by an RAF Voyager refueling aircraft, flew from Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire to Ascension Island in the South Atlantic before heading to Tristan da Cunha.
The two paratroopers jumped with an intensive care doctor and a critical care nurse who will assist the local health system - normally there are only two medics on the island.
Ed Cartwright said the paratroopers had to perform an "extremely difficult technical jump" because of the strong winds and the small size of the island. According to the Defense Department, average wind speeds on the island often exceed 40 km/h.
Brigadier Cartwright said the landing took place from an altitude of about 5 km above the South Atlantic, after which the paratroopers turned around in the wind, flew back over the island and landed on its outskirts.
"To make a mistake in such a situation would mean you would end up in the Atlantic Ocean," he added.
First of its kind
The British Defense Ministry said it was the first time the British military had parachuted in medical personnel to provide humanitarian aid.
The landing took place on a golf course, the local authorities said on their website. Authorities also said 3.3 tons of medical supplies were delivered for a local hospital.
Cartwright said the operation was not only to help the man with suspected hantavirus, but also to support the rest of the island, especially those who may have had contact with him.
Military Minister Al Carnes said the operation took place under "extremely difficult circumstances." "I want to express great appreciation to our troops for carrying out the mission with the utmost professionalism and endurance under difficult conditions," he added.
Brigadier Cartwright said the paratroopers would later be evacuated from the island by ship. He said the process is being carefully planned "based on the medical situation."