French authorities on Wednesday quarantined more than 1,700 passengers and crew members aboard a British cruise ship docked in Bordeaux following the death of an elderly passenger. Officials also sought to ease concerns about a possible connection to hantavirus.

Dozens of people aboard the Ambition cruise ship also reported stomach problems. Of the 1,233 passengers, most are citizens of the United Kingdom and Ireland, while the vessel also carries 514 crew members from India.

However, health officials said the incident is not connected to the hantavirus outbreak that is believed to have caused the deaths of three passengers aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, which departed from Argentina.

One 90-year-old passenger died aboard the Ambition, operated by Ambassador Cruise Line, while around 50 people reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.

Initial tests ruled out an outbreak of norovirus — a highly contagious form of gastroenteritis that causes vomiting and diarrhea — although additional testing is still ongoing.

At the same time, food poisoning has not yet been excluded as a possible cause.

According to officials, symptoms among passengers peaked on Monday while the ship was docked in Brest. The 90-year-old passenger died before the vessel arrived at the port in the French region of Brittany.

The cruise ship departed from the Shetland Islands north of Scotland on May 6, stopped in Belfast in Northern Ireland and Liverpool in England, and later arrived in Bordeaux. The vessel was then scheduled to continue on to Spain.

According to an AFP correspondent, no special security measures had been introduced around the ship in Bordeaux on Wednesday. Passengers continued taking photographs of the French city from the deck.