A Guardia Civil officer has died suddenly while taking part in the major evacuation operation of passengers onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship in Tenerife.
The officer, described by colleagues as ‘Berto’, collapsed near the advanced command tent set up by the Guardia Civil at the Port of Granadilla during the large-scale hantavirus repatriation effort.
According to local reports, the 63-year-old officer had been assisting with the transfer of passengers from the quarantined cruise ship to Tenerife South Airport when he suddenly became unwell late on Sunday afternoon.
Despite the significant medical presence already stationed at the port due to the international emergency operation, paramedics from the Servicio de Urgencias Canario were unable to revive him.
Emergency teams reportedly spent more than half an hour performing CPR at the scene after the officer collapsed near the helicopter coordination area.
At one stage, authorities even considered activating an air transfer to move him to a hospital in the Tenerife metropolitan area.
The officer was understood to have been on reserve duty while attached to the headquarters staff of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife command.
He reportedly had almost 30 years of service in the Guardia Civil and was based at the force’s Ofra command headquarters.
The death cast a shadow over Sunday’s tightly coordinated evacuation effort, which has drawn intense international attention following the hantavirus outbreak onboard the MV Hondius.
Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia was reportedly informed of the incident while at the port and later visited the scene to offer condolences to the officer’s colleagues.
He is believed to have died from a heart attack, according to the La Provincia newspaper.
It comes just days after two Guardia Civil officers were killed in Huelva, Andalucia, during a high-speed boat chase of drug traffickers.
The JUCIL Guardia Civil union said in a post on X: ‘The officer, while on standby at the operational command post, suffered a heart attack.
‘Despite 40 minutes of resuscitation efforts, they were unable to save his life.
‘Another comrade who loses his life in the line of duty. Another family shattered.’
