Salmonella was not found in the food and water samples that were taken from the Greek cruise ship Ivory, after a number of its passengers suffered from food poisoning last week.

Health Minister Charis Charalambous said yesterday he was still awaiting the final results of tests by the Infectious Disease Centre of Athens as well as the private sector, to which samples were sent by the company itself.

Louis Cruise Lines issued an announcement stating that it had been notified of the results by the Cyprus Health Services. The results, it added, showed that the samples from the Ivory were clean.

The company is co-operating with local authorities and is striving to determine whether the poisonings were down to Louis Cruise Lines or outside factors. The cruise line has been repeatedly awarded for the high standards of measures it takes for the security and hygiene of food.