About 40 passengers previously left ship hit by Hantavirus outbreak at island of St. Helena

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — About 40 passengers on a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak previously disembarked on the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena after the first passenger died, Dutch officials said Thursday.

The dozens of passengers, including the wife of a Dutch man who died, left the cruise ship during a stop at the British territory, the Dutch foreign ministry said.

The cruise company that operates the ship previously said the Dutch woman disembarked the ship with her husband’s body at St. Helena. She then flew to South Africa on a commercial plane.

However, the company has not acknowledged that anyone else got off the ship.

Dutch authorities did not confirm where the passengers who disembarked are now. Authorities in South Africa and Europe are trying to trace contacts of any passengers who got off the ship.

Three passengers died in the outbreak onboard, and several others are sick.