The captain of the MV Hondius told passengers they were safe from infection, only for three people to die from a deadly rat virus on the $10k-a-head cruise
Shocking footage has captured the moment a captain told terrified passengers a cruise ship was safe – just as the first victim of a deadly rat-borne virus dropped dead. The MV Hondius has been ravaged by a nightmare outbreak of the lethal hantavirus, which has now claimed three lives.
Since the initial tragedy, two more passengers have been confirmed as infected, while three others were hauled off the ship by medics in hazmat suits.
In a chilling video shared by Turkish travel blogger Ruhi Cenet, 35, the captain is seen addressing a tense 9am meeting to announce the first fatality. Despite the looming danger, the captain insisted the victim died of “natural causes.”
He told the crowd: “Whatever issues he was struggling with, I’m told by the doctor we’re not infectious. So the ship is safe when it comes to that.”
Cenet, who sensed something was “wrong” when the captain made a rare appearance, said the ship’s elderly passengers continued to mingle and dine together without a care in the world.
He said: “We felt that there was something wrong. We normally don’t see the captain. I started filming because the atmosphere was tense.”
Believing the captain’s word, the holidaymakers carried on as normal. Cenet added: “Since we were not told of any contagious disease, everyone was relaxed.”
However, the YouTuber slammed the cruise line’s response as a total failure.
He said: “They didn’t even consider the possibility of having such a contagious disease. They didn’t take the problem seriously enough. We again kept eating all together… and we didn’t wear any masks.”
The ship’s journey has left a trail of fear across the Atlantic. After the first death, the Hondius stopped at the remote island of Tristan da Cunha, potentially exposing isolated locals to the virus.
Cenet said: “It wasn’t just risky for us, it was risky for the people living in this remote place, because they don’t have the best medical centres, they don’t have enough doctors.”
The scale of the disaster became clear on May 2 when a 69-year-old Brit tested positive after being evacuated to South Africa, sparking a total quarantine.
Since then, a 56-year-old British expedition guide, a 65-year-old German woman and even the ship’s own doctor have been airlifted to Amsterdam for treatment.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is currently monitoring two other Brits who managed to get home before the outbreak was officially declared. Both are currently self-isolating.
The MV Hondius is now steaming toward Tenerife, where more than 20 Brits are waiting to be repatriated. Around 150 passengers from 23 different countries remain trapped on the vessel.
Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia confirmed that evacuations are set to begin on May 11, with a “joint system for health assessment” in place to get survivors home.
For those who paid upwards of $10,000 (£8,000) for the cruise, the trip has turned into a survival horror movie. Cenet is now calling for a massive overhaul of cruise ship safety standards.
He said: “I think all of the cruise ships who are welcoming over a hundred passengers should have a lab to detect a virus or any potential threats.
“It was not a cheap experience because all of the passengers have paid around $10,000 dollars, they deserve better medical support from the ship in the first place.”
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