Infected, at sea: how the deadly hantavirus turned a dream cruise into tragedy

The world has watched the news of deaths and evacuations anxiously, and those still onboard MV Hondius face a wary reception in the Canary Islands

As the MV Hondius sailed out of Ushuaia, the most southerly city on Earth, on 1 April, the grey skies above Tierra del Fuego lifted, lighting up the fresh snow on the mountaintops and the autumnal tree cover closer to shore.

Eighty-eight passengers and 61 crew of 23 nationalities had boarded the small polar-class vessel for its 35-day “Atlantic expedition” from the Argentinian province to Cape Verde, via some of the most remote islands on the planet. As the ship cleared the narrow channel leading to the open sea, those onboard had already been treated to glimpses of humpback whales, dolphins, black-browed albatrosses and South American sea lions.