Egyptian authorities said Wednesday that 46 French and US tourists who had been quarantined on a coronavirus-hit Nile cruise boat have flown home.

They were among dozens of foreign tourists and Egyptian crew who had been either confined to the vessel or hospitalised after an outbreak of the virus.

A health ministry statement said that the repatriated French and American tourists had left the A-Sara cruise boat overnight, noting that 45 people aboard the vessel had previously tested positive for the virus.