Bug ship docks in Southampton
The virus-stricken luxury liner Aurora has finally returned home to Southampton.
Angry passengers are now threatening legal action against the ship’s owners, P&O Cruises, after 500 of the 1,800 passengers onboard the flagship vessel contracted the highly infectious norovirus stomach bug during a cruise.
The Aurora caused a diplomatic storm between Spain and Gibraltar after Spanish authorities closed its border with the Rock for the first time in 18 years, while passengers from the Aurora visited the territory.
On Wednesday P&O Cruises revealed that two men in their 70s had died during the voyage but said their deaths were not related to the bug.
The Aurora ended its 17-day cruise at 06:00 GMT this morning but passengers have not yet disembarked. Health officials met the liner when it docked in Southampton.
The £200 million flagship liner left Southampton on October 20th for a 17-day cruise around the Mediterranean. Passengers were refused permission to disembark at several ports and many claimed that the ship became like a prison, with holidaymakers confined to their cabins and the smell of chemicals used to sanitise the vessel everywhere.
