British paratroopers have been dropped onto Tristan da Cunha, the UK’s most remote inhabited overseas territory, to deliver oxygen and medical supplies for a suspected case of hantavirus.
The UK Health Security Agency confirmed a British national had disembarked from the cruise ship MV Hondius to the island, where they live, with a suspected case of the virus. Six paratroopers, an RAF consultant and an army nurse from 16 Air Assault Brigade parachuted in, along with oxygen and medical aid.
The operation involved an RAF A400M aircraft flying from RAF Brize Norton to Ascension Island, supported by an RAF Voyager, before heading to Tristan da Cunha. The island, which has no airstrip and a population of 221, is normally accessible only by boat.
Brigadier Ed Cartwright, commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, said there were “7,000 miles and about 56 hours” between the request for help and having the parachutists and medical stores on the ground. He described the jump as “pretty tasty”, with soldiers landing on a “golf course covered in rocks” after descending through cloud.
The Ministry of Defence said it was the first time medical personnel had been parachuted in to provide humanitarian support. Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, said the safety of “all members of the British family” was the top priority, and that work would continue with international authorities and the Tristan da Cunha administration.
