Cruise ship outbreak leaves 3 dead as officials delay medical evacuations and probe hantavirus threat

A suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has left three people dead and several others ill, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement posted to X.

The U.N. health agency said one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, while five additional suspected cases are pending. Of the six people affected, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.

The WHO said it is coordinating with governments and the ship’s operator to arrange the medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, while continuing to assess the public health risk to those still on board.

"Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations," the WHO said. "Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing."

WHAT IS HANTAVIRUS, THE CAUSE OF GENE HACKMAN’S WIFE’S DEATH?

The outbreak is linked to the m/v Hondius, a Dutch-flagged cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.

Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the vessel, confirmed that three passengers died during the voyage and that one passenger is being treated in intensive care in Johannesburg.

Two crew members on board also require urgent medical care, the company said.

LEGIONNAIRES’ DISEASE OUTBREAK LINKED TO CRUISE SHIP HOT TUBS, CDC SAYS

As of late Sunday, authorities in Cape Verde had not authorized the disembarkation of passengers requiring medical treatment or broader medical screening, according to the company.

Local health officials have boarded the vessel to assess the situation but have not yet approved the transfer of symptomatic individuals to facilities on land.

"The priority of Oceanwide Expeditions is to ensure that the two symptomatic individuals on board receive adequate and expedited medical care," the company said.

GENE HACKMAN'S HOME FOUND TO BE INFESTED WITH RODENTS AFTER WIFE DIED OF HANTAVIRUS

Dutch authorities are working to coordinate the repatriation of those affected from Cape Verde to the Netherlands, though the effort depends on approval from local officials, Oceanwide Expeditions said. 

Hantavirus infections are typically linked to exposure to infected rodents’ urine or feces and can lead to severe respiratory illness.

"While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response," WHO said.

There is no specific cure for the virus, though early treatment can improve survival.

WHO said it has notified global health authorities under international regulations and is continuing to support the response.

"We are currently establishing the full facts and working on appropriate medical care, screening, and next steps," Oceanwide Expeditions said.

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Somali pirate and Houthi alliance targets $1T oil trade route with revived hijack tactic

A surge in Somali piracy is fueling fears of a Red Sea "security vacuum" across the region as analysts warn of a revived maritime crime playbook, now linked to Iran-backed Houthis.

The warning follows a May 2 report from Yemen’s coast guard that armed men hijacked an oil tanker off Shabwa and steered it toward the Gulf of Aden, and the vessel has since been located with recovery efforts underway, Reuters reported.

"There is a fundamental shift in the maritime center of gravity amid a new phase of maritime instability in the region," Ido Shalev, chief operating officer at RTCOM Defense, told Fox News Digital.

"Somali and Houthi-linked groups are teaming up — using skiffs and new tech to strike ships with coordination not seen in a decade — while Saudi crude rerouted from the Strait of Hormuz has created a ‘target-rich environment for them,’" he added.

COULD SOMALILAND BASE EMERGE AS US FOOTHOLD AGAINST IRAN, HOUTHIS IN KEY SEA LANES?

"There is an opportunistic alignment, with the Houthis providing geopolitical cover and advanced GPS and surveillance, and Somali groups providing the boots on the ground or skiffs on the water," Shalev said.

With the MT Eureka taken off Shabwa, Shalev, a former Israeli naval officer, suggested what he called the "Somali model" had returned "with a vengeance."

"This is a transactional collaboration, and in the exact area where the Houthis are active and would like to cause damage and support their IRGC sponsor," he said before describing how pirates would hijack the entire ship and cargo, taking them to a secure anchorage "like Qandala or Garacad."

"They then demand a ransom for the entire package: the vessel, the tens of millions of dollars in oil, and the crew," he said.

TRUMP HALTS MILITARY STRIKES ON HOUTHIS BUT EXPERT WARNS IRAN-BACKED TERRORIST GROUP REMAINS MAJOR THREAT

The surge in regional risk is also exacerbated, Shalev said, by the volatility of the Strait of Hormuz. As Iranian-backed threats persist in the Persian Gulf, global energy flows are shifting.

"Due to the closure and instability of the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has diverted millions of barrels of crude per day through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu," the former Israeli naval officer said.

"This creates a target-rich environment in a sector that was previously a backbound route. With Brent Crude prices surging — peaking near $115/bbl this quarter — the prize for a successful hijacking has never been higher."

The risk level in waters off Somalia was recently upgraded to "substantial" following a wave of hijackings and attempted attacks that began April 21, according to Windward AI and alerts from the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

At least three vessels were hijacked within days: a Somali-flagged fishing boat on April 21, followed by the Palau-flagged tanker Honour 25 (IMO 1099735), and, by April 26, a general cargo ship seized and redirected to Garacad.

ISRAEL’S NAVY HITS HOUTHIS IN YEMEN IN 'UNIQUE' STRIKE AFTER TRUMP PROMISES END TO US OPS

Shalev, who served as the lead architect for Nigeria’s "Falcon Eye" project — a surveillance system that successfully reduced piracy in those waters to 0% — warned that the distraction of global warships is being exploited.

"Because international naval forces are preoccupied with missile threats, a ‘security vacuum’ has now opened in the region, so pirates can travel vast distances in skiffs to board vulnerable commercial vessels," he said.

"Somali piracy, which had been suppressed for years, has seen this sharp resurgence that also correlates perfectly with the Houthi crisis in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," Shalev said.

The Red Sea carries 12% to 15% of global trade and about 30% of container traffic, moving over $1 trillion in goods annually, including oil and LNG, according to reports.

"The current crisis proves that you cannot ‘patrol’ your way out of this; you have to see the threat before it ever reaches the ship," Shalev said.

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Cargo ship attacked by small craft near Strait of Hormuz, UK maritime agency says

A large cargo ship was attacked by multiple small craft while transiting near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, roughly 11 nautical miles west of Sirik, Iran, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center.

The master of the northbound bulk carrier reported the attack to UKMTO, which said all crew members were safe and no environmental impact had been reported. Vessels in the area were advised to transit with caution and report suspicious activity while authorities investigate.

The incident occurred near one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints and comes amid heightened tensions over Iranian threats to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported that Tehran’s latest peace proposal to the U.S. says the strait should be governed and controlled by Iran.

"What is certain is that we will not step back from the Strait of Hormuz, and it will not return to its pre-war state," Ali Nikzad, deputy speaker of Iran’s parliament, said Sunday.

IRAN’S REMAINING WEAPONS: HOW TEHRAN CAN STILL DISRUPT THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ

The location is significant because territorial waters generally extend up to 12 nautical miles from a nation’s coastline. But under international maritime law, foreign-flagged vessels are allowed innocent passage through territorial seas so long as they are not engaging in threatening conduct, fishing or other prohibited activity.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea says coastal states may claim a territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles, while foreign vessels are allowed "innocent passage" through those waters.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack. The vessel was not publicly identified in the initial UKMTO alert.

WHY THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ MATTERS AS TRUMP ISSUES FRESH ULTIMATUM TO IRAN

Iran has previously used fast-attack boats to harass or seize vessels in and around the strait. Sunday’s incident follows a series of maritime attacks in the region during the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the U.S. and Israel, with commercial shipping repeatedly caught in the middle.

The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is a key route for global energy shipments. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has described it as a critical oil chokepoint, and roughly one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption moved through the strait in recent years.

The UKMTO alert did not say whether the small craft were Iranian, and authorities were continuing to investigate.

Fox News' Bryan Llenas and Nick Kalman contributed to this report.

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Examining NATO: Inside the ‘commitment gap’ as US carries alliance deterrence

This is part one of a series examining the challenges confronting the NATO alliance.

As President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on NATO allies to increase defense spending — and orders the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany over the next six to 12 months — a deeper issue is coming into focus: even as allied budgets rise, NATO still depends heavily on American military power to function.

NATO’s imbalance is not theoretical — and it is not new, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg told Fox News Digital, "I told the president… maybe you ought to talk about a tiered relationship with NATO," Kellogg described conversations with Donald Trump in his first term about the alliance’s future. "…we need to develop a new, for lack of a better term, a new NATO a new defensive alignment with Europe."

Kellogg, who served as a senior national security official during Trump's first term, said the alliance has expanded politically but not militarily — creating what he sees as a growing gap between commitments and real capability.

NATO CHIEF SIGNALS ALLIES MAY ACT ON HORMUZ, WARNS OF ‘UNHEALTHY CODEPENDENCE’ ON US

"You started with 12, and you went to 32, and in the process, I think you diluted the impact," he argued, calling today’s NATO "a very bloated architecture."

"They haven't put the money into defense. Their defense industry and defense forces have atrophied. When you look at the Brits right now, they could barely deploy forces: they have two aircraft carriers, both under maintenance. Their brigades are like one out of six that work. And you just look at the capability, it's just not there. So I think we need to realize that and say, well, we need something different," Kellogg, who is the co-chair of the Center for American Security at the America First Foreign Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital.

But not everyone agrees the alliance is losing relevance.

"It has never been more relevant," said John R. Deni, a research professor at the U.S. Army War College, who says NATO remains central to U.S. national security.

"The reason for that is twofold," he said. "One, it’s our comparative advantage versus the Chinese and the Russians… they don’t have anything like this."

"And the second reason… NATO underwrites the security and stability of our most important trade and investment relationship," he added, referring to economic ties between North America and Europe.

NATO ALLIES CLASH AFTER RUSSIAN JETS BREACH AIRSPACE, TESTING ALLIANCE RESOLVE

By around 2010, the United States accounted for roughly 65% to 70% of NATO defense spending, according to analysis provided by Barak Seener from the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank.

"They’ve always been dependent on the U.S.," Kellogg said of the European allies.

"The allies overall rely upon one another for deterrence and defense by design," Deni said, explaining that alliances exist to "pool their resources" and "aggregate their individual strengths."

Deni pointed to ground forces as a clear example of what the U.S. gains from the alliance, noting that "there are far more allied mechanized infantry forces on the ground than there are Americans."

Still, he acknowledged that reliance has at times gone too far.

"In the past… it was fair to say that the European allies were overly reliant upon the Americans for conventional defense," he said, pointing to the 2000s.

That, he said, was partly driven by U.S. priorities — as Washington pushed European allies to focus on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq rather than territorial defense.

Seener describes NATO as "formally collective, but functionally asymmetric," with the U.S. providing a disproportionate share of "high-end capabilities."

That asymmetry is most visible in nuclear deterrence.

Seener said the U.S. provides the overwhelming majority of NATO’s nuclear arsenal — including intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched systems and strategic bombers — meaning deterrence ultimately relies on the assumption of U.S. retaliation.

A NATO official told Fox News Digital that, "The U.S. nuclear deterrent cannot be replaced, but it is clear that Europe needs to step up. There’s no question. There needs to be a better balance when it comes to our defense and security. Both because we see the vital role the U.S. plays around the world and the resources that it demands, and also because it is only fair."

"The good news," the official added, "is that the Allies are doing exactly that. They are stepping up, working together — and with the U.S. — to ensure we collectively have what we need to deter and defend one billion people living across the Euro-Atlantic area."

NATO LAUNCHES ARCTIC SECURITY PUSH AS TRUMP EYES GREENLAND TAKEOVER

Beyond nuclear weapons, the dependence runs through the alliance’s operational backbone.

Seener pointed to U.S.-provided intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — as well as logistics and command systems — as essential to NATO operations.

"Without U.S. intelligence and surveillance, NATO loses situational awareness and early warning capabilities," Seener said, adding, "So that means that Russia, for example, can attack Europe. And theoretically, if there's no NATO and the U.S. is not involved, Europe would not be aware, or it would take it too long to be able to defend itself."

Kellogg also says that much of Europe’s military capability falls short of top-tier systems.

"For the most part, their equipment, if you had to grade it A, B, C, D, E, F, they’re kind of like B players or C players," he said. "It’s not the first line of work."

He pointed to air and missile defense as a key gap, noting that while European countries rely on U.S.-made systems such as Patriot and THAAD, "they don’t have a system that’s comparable."

Kellogg attributed that to years of underinvestment, saying European defense industries "have atrophied," adding that the United States is also now "relearning that as well."

TRUMP AFFIRMS US 'WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR NATO,' WHILE EXPRESSING DOUBTS ABOUT ALLIANCE

Deni said the picture today is more mixed.

"Alliance defense spending has been up… and has spiked far more after 2022," he said, pointing to Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 as a turning point.

But he cautioned that capability gains take time, noting that many improvements are still years away from full deployment.

Deni pointed to recent European purchases of U.S. systems as evidence of growing capability, noting that countries including Poland, Romania, Norway and Denmark are acquiring the F-35 fighter jet from the U.S.

"You can’t build an F-35 overnight," he said, adding that many of these improvements will take years to fully materialize.

A NATO official told Fox News Digital the alliance "needs to move further and faster" to meet growing threats, pointing to new capability targets agreed by defense ministers in June 2025.

The official said priorities include air and missile defense, long-range weapons, logistics and large land forces, noting that while details remain classified, plans call for a fivefold increase in air and missile defense, "thousands more" armored vehicles and tanks, and "millions more" artillery shells. NATO also aims to double key enabling capabilities such as logistics, transportation and medical support.

The official added that allies are increasing investments in warships, aircraft, drones, long-range missiles, as well as space and cyber capabilities, while boosting readiness and modernizing command and control.

"These targets are now included in national plans," the official said, adding that allies must demonstrate how they will meet them through sustained defense spending and capability development.

The NATO official also noted that European allies lead multinational forces across Central and Eastern Europe, while the U.S. and Canada serve as framework nations in Poland and Latvia, alongside ongoing air policing missions and NATO’s KFOR operation in Kosovo.

Kellogg’s warning is direct: NATO’s deterrence depends on U.S. presence.

"The one you always have to worry about… is Russia," Kellogg, who was Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia in 2025, said.

If U.S. forces are tied down elsewhere, NATO could face serious strain — particularly in areas like intelligence and logistics.

For Kellogg, the danger is delay. "We won’t know until it happens," he said. "And then you won’t be able to respond to it."

Deni, however, said the alliance remains a strategic asset — not a liability.

The question, he suggests, is not whether NATO still works. It is whether allies can adapt fast enough to keep it working.

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'Killing off the country': Iran executes dozens, arrests 4,000+ in war crackdown

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Tuesday accused Iran’s regime of dramatically intensifying its crackdown on dissent in the wake of the February conflict, warning that Tehran has carried out executions, mass arrests, torture and one of the world’s longest internet shutdowns while invoking national security.

In a sharply worded statement from Geneva, Türk said at least 21 people have been executed and more than 4,000 arrested on national security-related charges since Feb. 28, as the regime faces mounting scrutiny over what he described as a sweeping assault on fundamental rights. 

"I am appalled that, on top of the already severe impacts of the conflict, the rights of the Iranian people continue to be stripped from them by the authorities, in harsh and brutal ways," Türk said.

COULD NARGES MOHAMMADI UNITE IRAN’S OPPOSITION? HUSBAND SAYS IMPRISONED NOBEL LAUREATE STILL FIGHTING

Since the start of the conflict two months ago, the U.N. said nine people have been executed in connection with the January 2026 protests, 10 for alleged membership in opposition groups, and two on espionage charges. It's estimated that some 40,000 people were killed by regime forces during January's uprising.

Türk warned that Iran’s broad use of vaguely defined national security laws has enabled authorities to fast-track prosecutions, deny legal counsel, and rely on coerced confessions.

"Even where national security is invoked, human rights can only be limited where strictly necessary and proportionate," he said, calling on Tehran to halt executions, impose a moratorium on capital punishment, and immediately release those arbitrarily detained.

For many Iranian dissidents, the findings reflect an already dire reality.

"It is bad," Banafsheh Zand, an Iranian-American journalist and editor of the Iran So Far Away Substack, told Fox News Digital. "They’re completely killing off the country."

On Saturday, it was reported that Iran had executed another athlete, a 21-year-old karate champion. Sassan Azadvar Joonqani was detained in January during the anti-regime protests and was executed by the regime on Thursday, according to a report in Euronews.

Last month, Iran executed another athlete, 19-year-old wrestling champion Saleh Mohammadi, for protesting against the regime, Fox News Digital reported. 

Türk’s office said detainees have reportedly faced enforced disappearances, torture, mock executions, and televised confessions, with ethnic and religious minorities including Bahá’ís, Zoroastrians, Kurds and Baluch Iranians facing particular risk.

RUBIO REVOKES IRANIAN OFFICIALS' US TRAVEL PRIVILEGES OVER DEADLY PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS

Among those cited by the U.N. was imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, whose condition sharply worsened Friday after what her family described as a catastrophic health crisis following months of being denied specialized care.

According to a statement from the Narges Foundation that was published Friday, Mohammadi was urgently transferred by ambulance from Zanjan Prison to a hospital after suffering two episodes of complete loss of consciousness in a single day, accompanied by severe cardiac distress. The foundation said prison doctors determined her condition could no longer be managed on-site after what her family called a "last-minute" transfer that may have come dangerously late.

Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, told Fox News Digital earlier this week that her physical condition had already become increasingly dire after what he described as a violent arrest and deteriorating prison treatment. "She has sustained severe trauma and urgently requires medical attention."

Rahmani previously said Mohammadi’s medical team and outside specialists had pushed for treatment in Tehran due to her history of multiple heart procedures, while authorities allegedly blocked those recommendations until her condition became life-threatening. Despite her physical decline, Rahmani said, "Spiritually and mentally, Narges remains steadfast."

IRAN’S KHAMENEI LASHES OUT AT PROTESTERS AS NATIONWIDE ANTI-REGIME UNREST GROWS

The U.N. statement, combined with Mohammadi’s emergency hospitalization, has intensified scrutiny of Iran’s prison conditions, which Türk described as marked by overcrowding, medical neglect, and severe human rights abuses.

Türk also cited dire prison conditions, including overcrowding, shortages of food, water and medicine, and denial of medical care.

The U.N. further highlighted reports of lethal violence in detention facilities, including claims that security forces killed at least five detainees in Chabahar Prison after protests over suspended food distribution.

But while dissidents welcomed the U.N.’s unusually forceful language, some also questioned whether condemnation without action can meaningfully alter conditions, especially as Iran this week was elevated to a vice-chair role on a U.N. nuclear nonproliferation committee.

"The reason why Iranians just don't trust, don't like and don't want to know from the U.N.," Zand said, is what she described as its repeated failure "to rise to the occasion of responding to the regime and holding their feet to the fire at the right time... with the right amount of pressure."

While she said the latest statement itself was important, Zand argued many view such condemnations as hollow when paired with what they see as institutional legitimacy granted to Tehran.

"They're making a statement... fine," she said. "But what are they gonna do about it?"

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Iran’s killer drones increase slaughter in Sudan amid world’s forgotten war

Iran is once again being accused of playing a deadly role in yet another conflict, this time by supplying attack drones to one of the sides in the predominantly Muslim nation of Sudan’s deadly civil war — drones that are indiscriminately killing women and children.

The war, now in its fourth year, has, according to some accounts, seen as many as 400,000 deaths since the conflict began on April 15, 2023. More than 11 million have been displaced, giving rise to the worst displacement crisis in the world.

Mariam Wahba, research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) told Fox News Digital that, "Iran has supplied the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) with drones, specifically the Mohajer-6, manufactured by Qods Aviation Industries, a U.S.-sanctioned entity, since 2013."

‘PEACEMAKER’ TRUMP CAN END AFRICA’S BIGGEST WAR, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR SAYS

The State Department has hit out against the use of drones against civilians in the ongoing war in Sudan, with the SAF alleged to use Iranian drones widely against the population. An Iranian woman is also in federal custody in California after being arrested earlier this month for an alleged plot to supply Sudan with more Iranian drones.

Documented cases show both the SAF and the rebel militia they are fighting, the Rapid Support Forces, (RSF), are increasingly using drones against civilians.

Wahba said that "between Dec. 2023 and July 2024, at least seven cargo flights traveled between Iran and Sudan, likely transporting drones and component parts. On April 19, an Iranian-born U.S. resident was arrested at LAX (Los Angeles International airport) for allegedly brokering a $70 million deal to supply Mohajer-6 systems and other hardware to Sudan’s Ministry of Defense, indicating the transfers are likely ongoing."

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "We are greatly concerned about the proliferation of drone warfare by the parties (in Sudan), and the impact this has on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Recently we have seen RSF and SAF drones destroy hospitals and schools, killing civilians."

FEDS ARREST IRANIAN WOMAN AT LAX FOR ALLEGEDLY BROKERING WEAPONS SALES FOR ISLAMIC REGIME

News of the Iran drone plot in the U.S. was first announced by Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, in a post on X, April 19, "Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for trafficking arms on behalf of the government of Iran. She is charged with a violation of 50 U.S.C. § 1705 for brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan."

The post was accompanied by photos of Iranian drones, and an image of what looked like a suitcase stuffed with dollar bills.

Ciaran McEvoy from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California told Fox News Digital that Mafi "remains in federal custody and her arraignment is scheduled for Friday, May 8 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles."

 ANOTHER CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AT RISK IN AFRICA AS EXTREMISTS AND WAR TAKE THEIR TOLL

Wahba told Fox News Digital that the Mohajer-6 drone Iran is supplying to Sudan is "Iran’s workhorse drone", adding it’s the system used in attacks on Israel and the Red Sea by Hezbollah and the Houthis.

"The Mohajer-6 is a reusable platform used for surveillance and precision strikes," Wahba added. It can loiter, collect intelligence and return."

The State Department told Fox News Digital of wider concerns: "Islamist groups aligned with the SAF have formed relationships with the Iranian regime and have received assistance from Iran. We’ve sanctioned a number of these groups, including the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood, who used unrestrained violence against civilians and undermined efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan. Many of the group’s fighters have received training and other support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and have committed atrocities against civilians."

United Nations spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, condemned the recent drone attacks in Sudan. He told reporters: "An aid truck from the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) that was carrying emergency shelter kits came under attack by a drone on Friday (April 24) while transiting through the town of Umm Drisaya in North Darfur state. All supplies were destroyed in the fire."

Dujarric added: "The second incident occurred on Saturday (April 25) when a drone reportedly caused casualties in residential neighborhoods of El Obeid city, North Kordofan state. Seven people were killed and over 20 injured, according to a local medical group."

"These are ordinary families in their homes, caught in violence that continues to reach civilian neighborhoods," said Dujarric. "We condemn all of these attacks."

Ricardo Pires, communication manager for the children’s agency UNICEF, told Fox News Digital: "For children in Sudan, the sound of a drone is yet another dreadful signal to hide and hope they are not harmed next. Across Darfur and Kordofan, drones and other explosive weapons are turning streets, hospitals and schools into places of danger and death. This is not just a protection threat for children. It is childhood being attacked by new forms of warfare."

The State Department spokesperson added, "In order to safeguard U.S. interests, to include the protection of religious freedom in Sudan, U.S. efforts seek to limit malign Islamist influence in Sudan’s government and curtail Iran’s regional activities, which have contributed to regional destabilization, conflict and civilian suffering."

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Bus plunges into river after trainee driver crash, massive rescue response: reports

A driver in training sent a bus careening into the River Seine near Paris Thursday after hitting a parked car and veering off the road, triggering a massive rescue operation, according to BBC and Reuters.

All four people on board were pulled to safety as more than 90 firefighters, divers and emergency crews — along with boats and a helicopter — responded, officials said.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and drug and alcohol tests came back negative.

EMERGENCY CREWS RESPOND TO TOUR BUS ROLLOVER WITH DOZENS OF PATIENTS IN NEW YORK

The incident happened in France's Juvisy-sur-Orge, about 12 miles south of Paris, as the driver was nearing the end of her practical training, transport officials told the BBC.

Authorities said the bus missed a turn near the riverbank, instead continuing straight and dragging a parked car into the water before plunging into the Seine, Reuters reported.

Dramatic images show the bus partially submerged as rescue crews surrounded it with some individuals on top of the vehicle while others worked in the water below.

WILD VIDEO SHOWS SPEEDING CAR GOING AIRBORNE, EJECTS DRIVER INTO BACKYARD POOL

Witnesses described a chaotic response, with one saying it felt like "every firefighter in the department" had arrived as bystanders initially threw life rings into the river before first responders took over.

TERRIFYING VIDEO SHOWS OUT-OF-CONTROL MTA BUS PLOWING INTO CARS IN THE BRONX, INJURING 8

Officials later launched an internal investigation into what caused the crash.

Video released later showed crews using cranes to pull the submerged bus from the river as helicopters circled overhead.

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