A new video recorded on board the MV Hondius shows the moment the captain informs passengers of the first death recorded during the trip marked by the hantavirus outbreak.
The images were captured by Ruhi Çenet, who was on the cruise to report on the Tristan da Cunha archipelago. The influencer revealed that he was surprised by the apparent normality of life on board after the death was announced.
In the video, Captain Jan Dobrogowski informs passengers that a man had died of “natural causes”, adding that doctors considered the situation “not contagious”.
According to Ruhi Çenet, no detailed information was given about the detected virus nor were visible containment measures implemented at that time.
The first passenger to die was a Dutch citizen, whose wife also died days later, already on land, having tested positive for hantavirus. Since then, other suspected and confirmed cases have been identified among passengers and crew.
The World Health Organization is monitoring the situation and has already identified several cases associated with the outbreak. Despite the concern, the organization’s general director assured that the risk of spread is considered low and not comparable to that of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The case continues to generate international attention, especially after the release of images showing the initial moments of the health crisis on board the cruise.
