Where are they now? Officials race to find 40 passengers who disembarked cruise ship stricken with hantavirus

Nearly 40 passengers exposed to a deadly hantavirus outbreak are believed to person walked disconnected a cruise vessel without interaction tracing and scattered crossed aggregate countries, leaving authorities scrambling to find them.

Oceanwide Expeditions, the institution that operates the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, said Thursday that 29 passengers disembarked connected April 24, astir 2 weeks aft the archetypal decease connected board, portion Dutch officials enactment the fig person to 40.

The passengers, representing astatine slightest a twelve nationalities, returned to their location countries crossed Europe, Africa and beyond, creating a analyzable planetary hunt effort, the institution said, adding that nationalities of 2 of the radical were unknown.

Health officials person already confirmed that astatine slightest 1 rider who near the ship, a antheral who returned to Switzerland, tested affirmative for the Andes strain of the hantavirus, a uncommon variant that tin dispersed betwixt radical done adjacent contact.

CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER DESCRIBES UNCERTAINTY AFTER 3 DEATHS AMID HANTAVIRUS PROBE

Health workers successful protective cogwheel evacuate patients from the MV Hondius cruise vessel astatine a larboard successful Praia, Cape Verde, connected May 6, 2026. (Misper Apawu/AP)

The outbreak has already resulted successful astatine slightest 3 deaths, portion respective others person fallen sick arsenic the microorganism dispersed among passengers.

A Dutch antheral died connected April 11, and his assemblage was taken disconnected the vessel onto the distant South Atlantic land of St. Helena. His woman besides disembarked determination earlier flying to South Africa, wherever she collapsed and died astatine the Johannesburg airport.

The MV Hondius cruise vessel is anchored astatine a larboard successful Praia, Cape Verde, connected May 6, 2026. (Misper Apawu/AP)

Argentine officials told The Associated Press connected Wednesday that the starring proposal is that the mates whitethorn person been exposed to rodents portion visiting a landfill during a bird-watching circuit successful the metropolis of Ushuaia, unknowingly contracting the microorganism earlier boarding the cruise ship.

RARE HANTAVIRUS HUMAN-TO-HUMAN TRANSMISSION SUSPECTED ON LUXURY CRUISE SHIP WHERE 3 HAVE DIED

Hantavirus usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings. The World Health Organization (WHO) said human-to-human transportation is uncommon, but possible.

Additional evacuations followed the Dutch man’s death.

Health workers successful protective cogwheel evacuate patients from the MV Hondius cruise vessel into an ambulance astatine a larboard successful Praia, Cape Verde, connected May 6, 2026. (Misper Apawu/AP)

A British antheral was flown to South Africa from Ascension Island, according to the company, portion 3 much people, including the ship’s doctor, were airlifted to Europe for attraction arsenic the vas drifted adjacent Cape Verde.

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With passengers dispersing crossed continents and constricted records of their movements, officials successful South Africa and crossed Europe are present moving to reconstruct question paths and place anyone who whitethorn person been exposed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.