Cruise passengers tell of life on board stranded ship after 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.

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.

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 [in] 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 BBC 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".

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 BBC 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.

Almost one month since the first death, footage taken on board offers a glimpse into daily life.

Health officials covered in protective gear are seen disembarking the ship and plush lounges, usually a place for relaxation or late-night revelry, sit deserted.

Another passenger said the cruise staff had asked those on board to maintain social distancing, wear masks inside and sanitise hands frequently.

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It was a voyage that promised passengers the trip of a lifetime traversing some of the Atlantic's most rugged and untouched landscapes.

The MV Hondius set off from Ushuaia in Argentina, the most southern city in the world, on 1 April.

"Fresh snow on the mountains, autumn colours along the shoreline and even some amazing wildlife," Rosmarin, his voice brimming with excitement, told followers in a video posted several weeks ago.

From Argentina it was onto the British territory of South Georgia, a world-renowned wildlife destination famous for its penguin colonies, and then Tristan da Cunha, the remotest inhabited island in the world.

Rosmarin's social media videos offer a highlights reel of his month at sea - from birdwatching and penguin spotting to sipping iced lattes on board.

"Moments like this are hard to explain, but they're the ones that stay with you the most," he said of Tristan da Cunha.

As the Hondius headed for the remote island of St Helena, the cruise operator was alerted to a worrying development.

On 11 April, a Dutch man died on board, his cause of death unknown. Almost two weeks later his body was taken off the boat in St Helena accompanied by his wife.

She was evacuated to South Africa, where authorities said she died in a Johannesburg hospital. The WHO has since confirmed the woman, aged 69, had hantavirus.

On 27 April a British passenger became unwell and was evacuated to South Africa where they are in a critical but stable condition with hantavirus.

Then on 2 May, a German national also died, bringing the total number of fatalities to three. It remains unclear if they were infected.

Oceanwide Expeditions said two crew members currently have "acute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe", needing urgent medical care.

Where the ship goes now, and when, remains mired in uncertainty.

The WHO says Spain has granted permission for it to dock in the Canary Islands, where a risk assessment and further medical monitoring could take place.

But Spain's health ministry has played down speculation that it will take in the ship.

A spokesman for Spain's health ministry told the BBC it had not yet received a request for the boat to stop at the Canaries.

However, Spanish authorities are prepared to take charge of the situation should that change, the spokesperson added. That would include providing medical attention, analysis and disinfection.

They would not say whether passengers would be allowed to disembark.

Additional reporting by Ed Habershon

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