Voyage From Hell: MV Hondius Cruise Ship Carrying Over 100 People Denied Docking as Deadly Hantavirus Spreads and Kills 3 Onboard
What was supposed to be a vacation from heaven turned into a trip from hell after a deadly virus broke out on a cruise ship.
May 4 2026, Published 3:30 p.m. ET
A cruise ship with nearly 150 people on board is stranded at sea, RadarOnline.com can report, after the luxury line was refused permission to dock in the West African island nation of Cape Verde.
Three people have died, and others have fallen ill on board the ship, after a deadly outbreak of the hantavirus – the same disease that took the life of Gene Hackman's wife, Betsy Arakawa.
'We're People With Families'
At least three people have died after the hantavirus spread on the The MV Hondius.
The MV Hondius is carrying passengers from 23 different countries, including 17 Americans, and was on a 35-day polar cruise from Argentina to Antarctica when the sickness spread.
One of the Americans, travel blogger Jake Rosmarin, posted a scary first-hand account of the chaos from inside his quarantined stateroom.
"We're not just headlines: we're people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home," he said in a tearful social media message. "There is a lot of uncertainty, and that is the hardest part."
Medics are now working to evacuate at least two people who have displayed symptoms. The remaining passengers must follow strict precautionary measures, including isolation and medical monitoring.
The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, is looking for ways to allow people to disembark on the islands of Las Palmas and Tenerife.
What Is the Hantavirus?
Travel Vlogger Jake Rosmarin has been providing updates from the ship.
Hantavirus, which can cause fatal respiratory illness, can be spread when particles from rodent droppings or urine become airborne. It does not transfer easily between humans.
The virus usually begins with flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and fever, but an official with the Netherlands' National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, which is assisting with the outbreak, said its source was unclear.
"You could imagine, for example, that rats on board the ship transmitted the virus," he said. "But another possibility is that during a stop somewhere in South America, people were infected, for instance via mice, and became ill that way."
There are no specific drugs to treat the disease, so treatment focuses on supportive care, including putting patients on ventilators in severe cases.
The World Health Organization said the risk to the wider public was low, and there was no need for panic or travel restrictions, but Cape Verde authorities said they are not allowing the ship to dock as a "precaution."
U.S. Government on Standby
The ship was nearing the end of its 35-day journey.
Two of the deceased victims were a married couple – a 70-year-old man who died on board on April 11 and was declared dead on arrival to the remote Atlantic island of St. Helena on April 24, and a 69-year-old woman who collapsed at Johannesburg’s international airport while attempting to fly back to the pair's native Netherlands.
Oceanwide said the third victim to die was a German national, although the official cause of death is not known.
A State Department spokesperson said on Monday that the U.S. government was closely watching the situation and was "ready to provide consular assistance."
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Betsy Arakawa Died From the Hantavirus
Gene Hackman's wife, Betsy Arakawa, died in 2025 from hantavirus.
The hantavirus was first identified in South Korea in 1978 when researchers isolated the virus from a field mouse.
It is rare in the U.S., with fewer than 50 cases reported yearly, including Hackman's wife. In February 2025, the 65-year-old died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, with Hackman, 95, dying a few days later from severe heart disease, which was exacerbated by Alzheimer's disease and kidney disease.
A week after their bodies were discovered, a health department assessment of the couple's $4million compound in Santa Fe found dead rodents in "eight detached outbuildings" on the Hackman property, making it a "breeding ground" for the hantavirus.
