Cruise passengers tell of life on board stranded ship after hantavirus outbreak

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Cruise passengers tell of life on board stranded ship after hantavirus outbreak 18 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Jake Lapham Watch: On board MV Hondius off Cape Verde amid hantavirus outbreak "We're not just a story. We're not just headlines, we're people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home," said a tearful Jake Rosmarin. For the American travel vlogger on board the luxury cruise liner MV Hondius in the Atlantic ocean, a dream voyage has taken a deadly turn.

He is among around 150 people from 23 countries on the vessel stranded near Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa. Two confirmed and five suspected cases of hantavirus - a rare but severe disease usually spread by rodents - have since been identified. Three passengers on the ship have died and several more are either ill or displaying symptoms after the MV Hondius set sail from Argentina around a month ago.

The Details

Health authorities are now racing to test samples from passengers and the World Health Organization (WHO) said it has possibly spread among those on board. Crew are also working to find a port where the ship can safely dock after Cape Verdean officials declined to grant clearance earlier this week, leaving the vessel anchored nearby. "There's a lot of uncertainty and that is the hardest part.

All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity and to get home," Rosmarin told his followers on TikTok on Monday. "We're not just headlines, we're people", says travel vlogger on board MV Hondius Unlike Rosmarin's emotional recount, another passenger on the ship, Kasem Hato, said "the whole situation has been blown out of proportion". He said this was "partly because of one person panicking on the ship whose video has been circulating the media," an apparent reference to Rosmarin's video.

"While his reaction is valid, it doesn't represent the situation on board, everyone else (148 out of 149) has been calm, the situation is under control and we just wish those who are sick a speedy recovery", Hato, also a travel influencer, posted on social media. He told the passengers were keeping themselves busy by reading, watching movies and having hot drinks. In a series of follow-up posts, Rosmarin said it had taken "some time to settle my emotions" and "everyone on board is doing okay".

What Experts Say

He added: "I'm feeling well, getting some fresh air and continue to be well fed and taken care of by the crew... just trying to focus on the positive". The operator of the cruise, Oceanwide Expeditions, said the atmosphere "remains calm, with passengers generally composed".

"Oceanwide Expeditions is working to provide clarity and reassurance to guests and expedite their disembarkation and medical screening," the company said in a statement. A passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, told the they were preparing for at least another three to four days at sea. "At this point we don't know when we will leave," they said.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.