Three cruise passengers are dead and a fourth is fighting for their life after a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard the ship MV Hondius on a trip along the coast of Africa, according to reports.

One case of hantavirus was confirmed in the first victim, with five other suspected cases still pending, the World Health Organization told Agence France-Presse on Sunday.

The first victim, a 70-year-old man, suffered a fatal hemorrhagic fever on board the ship. His 69-year-old wife died not long after at a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, the outlet reported.

The third fatality was also on board the ship, the outlet reported.

A 69-year-old British passenger is in intensive care at the Johannesburg hospital, the BBC reported.

The outbreak was first reported during Hondius’ journey between Argentina and Cape Verde. The ship is operated by the Dutch tour company Oceanwide Expeditions.

Hantavirus is a disease commonly contracted through infected rodents’ urine, feces and saliva. In rare cases, it can spread between people.

There is no specific treatment or cure for hantavirus, but early medical intervention can increase the chances of survival.

The MV Hondius departed from Argentina on March 20 and was expected to complete its trip in Cape Verde on May 4, according to the cruise itinerary.

The 353-foot polar cruise ship can fit 170 people in its 80 cabins. 

One anonymous source told AFP that the third victim died Sunday and their body was still on the ship. The WHO said it is working on medically evacuating the two remaining symptomatic passengers and conducting a full public health risk assessment for those still on board.

One source told the AFP that there were discussions about placing the two sick passengers in isolation at a hospital in Cape Verde before disembarking to Spain’s Canary Islands.

Oceanwide Expeditions said it is in the process of repatriating the symptomatic passengers, the third deceased passenger, and a friend of the victim from Cape Verde to the Netherlands.

The MV Hondius is just the latest recreational cruise ship to be hit with a devastating outbreak.

In early March, norovirus swept through a Star Princess cruise ship during a Caribbean voyage, sickening 104 passengers and 49 crew members.

Hantavirus, though, is a completely different beast with an estimated 35% mortality rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Legendary actor Gene Hackman, stricken by Alzheimer’s, died alone after his wife, Betsy Arakawa, succumbed to hantavirus in their rat-infested Santa Fe home in February 2025.