- Oceanwide Expeditions arranges evacuation of three individuals.
- Two confirmed hantavirus cases reported.
- Three passengers died onboard or related to the voyage.
- Two British and Dutch crew members need urgent care.
- The vessel repositions toward Gran Canaria or Tenerife.
Oceanwide Expeditions has arranged the medical evacuation of two passengers and one guest associated with a passenger who passed away on 2 May. The Hondius remains off the coast of Cape Verde. The World Health Organization confirmed seven cases including two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus cases.
Three passengers have died, one is critically ill, and three report mild symptoms. Two crew members of British and Dutch nationality require urgent medical care with acute respiratory symptoms. No new symptomatic individuals appear beyond previous reports. A variant of hantavirus was identified in the female Dutch national who died on 27 April after disembarking in Saint Helena.
The vessel departed Ushuaia in Argentina on 1 April with 88 passengers and 59 crew from 23 nationalities. Dutch authorities prepare evacuation with two specialised aircraft to the Netherlands. The ship plans to reposition to the Canary Islands after the transfers, with the transit estimated at three days.
Oceanwide Expeditions shared “The medical evacuation of two individuals currently requiring urgent medical care, and the individual associated with the guest who passed away on 2 May, will occur using two specialized aircraft that are en route to Cape Verde.”
