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  "path": "/2026/05/07/moment-hantavirus-cruise-captain-tells-passengers-a-death-board-28269220/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-07T08:41:20.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "News",
    "World",
    "Death",
    "Hantavirus",
    "Health News",
    "supports HTML5\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo",
    "cruise ship",
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    "Denmark",
    "German",
    "The family of the couple at the centre of the outbreak",
    "Martin Anstree.",
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    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source"
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  "textContent": "To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo\n\nUp Next\n\nPrevious Page\n\nNext Page\n\nThe captain of a cruise ship where three people died after hantavirus broke out told passengers there was ‘nothing infectious’ involving the first death.\n\nFootage shows passengers gathered in a seating area when the captain of MV Hondius says a Dutch man has died from ‘natural causes’ as they sailed through the Atlantic Ocean.\n\nBut both he and his wife, both 69, had developed the rat virus and brought it aboard the ship after visiting the city of Ushuaia, Argentina.\n\nThe captain said: ‘One of our passengers sadly passed away last night. Tragic as it is, we believe it is from natural causes.\n\n‘I am told by the doctor it is not infectious, so the ship is safe when it comes to that.\n\n‘It happens at sea sometimes. Very sad, very tragic.’\n\n##  Sign up for all of the latest stories\n\nStart your day informed with Metro's **News Updates** newsletter or get **Breaking News** alerts the moment it happens.\n\nHe added that as we were in the middle of the Atlantic, they were ‘only a few places they could go to’.\n\nMartin Anstee was evacuated off the ship after developing symptoms (Picture: Facebook)\n\nOne of the crew mates added ‘the gentleman got sick’ a few days before he passed, with his wife still on board.\n\nThe pair, from Denmark, are believed to have visited a landfill site during the birdwatching trip and may have been exposed to rodents carrying the deadly infection.\n\nThe husband died on April 11 after suffering with flu symptoms for five days, and his body went ashore at Saint Helena on April 24 alongside his wife.\n\nHis wife then fell ill and died in Johannesburg on April 26. A German national also died on the ship on May 2.\n\nForensics are seen leaving an aircraft after a patient was evacuated at Schiphol-East (Picture: ANP/Shutterstock)\n\nOne passenger, Cenet, accused the ship of not taking the outbreak seriously enough.\n\nHe said: ‘They didn’t even consider the possibility of having such a contagious disease.\n\n‘They didn’t take the problem seriously enough.’\n\nThe family of the couple at the centre of the outbreak said: ‘We cannot yet comprehend that we have to miss them. We want to bring them home in peace and remember them.’\n\nA British crew member who was evacuated from the ship and has symptoms of the virus has been named as Martin Anstree. \n\nA drone view of the cruise ship MV Hondius, carrying passengers suspected of having cases of hantavirus on board (Picture: Reuters)\n\nThe 56-year-old is a former police officer turned wildlife photographer, and was on board as an expert birdwatching guide.\n\nHe told Sky News from hospital in the Netherlands: ‘I’m doing OK. I’m not feeling too bad. There are still lots of tests to be done.\n\n‘I have no idea how long I’ll be in the hospital for. I’m in isolation at the moment.’\n\nHis wife Nicola told the Telegraph it had been ‘a very traumatic few days’.\n\nShe added: ‘He’s relieved to be off the ship. He had it quite mild then it got a bit more serious and now he’s stable again.\n\n‘The fear with this virus is it can deteriorate very quickly so it’s been a bit up and down for him.\n\n‘I don’t believe he’s in imminent danger now but it was horrible.’\n\nTwo other Brits who returned independently to the UK from the cruise ship have been told to self-isolate at home, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "Moment hantavirus captain tells passengers cruise is ‘not infectious’"
}