Two Belgians are on board a cruise ship in the Atlantic, on board of which three passengers have already died, the ship’s owners say. Yesterday it emerged that two Dutch nationals had died. In an update, the company states that a third fatality was a German national. All three cruise passengers may have died as a result of hantavirus.
A day after it emerged that three passengers aboard an Oceanwide Expeditions cruise ship had died, the Dutch company has provided further information about the situation on board.
The ship is currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde. There are still 149 people on board (88 passengers and 61 crew members), holders of 23 different nationalities. The passenger list also includes two Belgians.
Two crew members on board - with British and Dutch nationality - are currently displaying “acute respiratory symptoms”. These are crew members of British and Dutch nationality. “Both require urgent medical attention,” the company states.
Dutchman had been dead for more than three weeks
In a press release, the company provided a timeline of events on board: the first fatality occurred as early as 11 April, when a Dutchman, aged 70, died on board.
On 24 April, the man’s body was taken to the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic for repatriation. His wife (69) was due to accompany the repatriation but died during the journey. The cause of the Dutch couple's death is not yet known.
On 27 April, another passenger – a 69-year-old Briton – fell seriously ill on board. He was taken to hospital in Johannesburg (South Africa). There, he was diagnosed with the rare hantavirus. He is currently reported to be in “a critical but stable condition”.
On 2 May, another passenger on board, a German national, died. His cause of death is still to be established.
Oceanwide Expeditions is currently awaiting authorisation for a medical evacuation.