World4 min(s) read
Published 10:21 10 May 2026 GMT
The first victim linked to the deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has been identified as Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord.
Leo, 70, and his wife Mirjam Schilperoord, 69, from the tiny Dutch village of Haulerwijk, were on a five-month trip travelling through Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina in search of rare wildlife sightings, before boarding the cruise ship in Argentina on April 1.
Officials now believe the late couple may have contracted the feared Andes strain of hantavirus after visiting a notorious landfill site near Ushuaia on March 27, just days before setting sail.
The strain is the only known form of hantavirus capable of spreading from human to human.
Leo and Mirjam were later identified in obituaries published in their local village magazine, where one tribute read: "Like birds in flight. We will miss you and the stories."
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Leo and Mirjam were experienced birdwatchers who had travelled extensively together over the years.
In 1984, they co-authored a study on pink-footed geese for the Dutch ornithological magazine Het Vogeljaar, per The New York Post.
The late couple also embarked on birdwatching adventures around the globe, including a 12-day wildlife tour in Sri Lanka in 2013, where they celebrated spotting the rare Serendib Scops Owl.
According to reports, the "end of the world" landfill the pair visited before their tragic deaths has become a magnet for birdwatchers from around the world despite being shunned by locals.
The rubbish dump, described by local guide and photographer Gastón Bretti as "a mountain of waste that today far exceeds the limit initially established by the authorities," is home to several rare Patagonian bird species.
Among the birds attracting enthusiasts to the site is the white-throated caracara, also known as Darwin’s caracara, after Charles Darwin first collected the species.
"It is common for birdwatchers to visit landfills because there are many birds there," Bretti told Ansa Latina.
Authorities suspect the Dutch couple inhaled particles contaminated by the feces of long-tailed pygmy rice rats carrying the virus while visiting the dump.
Just four days after visiting the landfill, the Schilperoords boarded the MV Hondius alongside 112 other passengers, many of whom were scientists and fellow bird enthusiasts.
On April 6, Leo began suffering from fever, headaches, stomach pain, and diarrhea. Five days later, he died on board the vessel.
Even after his death, passengers were reportedly told there was no immediate cause for alarm.
Video captured by Turkish travel blogger, Ruhi Çenet, allegedly showed the ship’s captain assuring guests the illness was "not infectious" and suggesting the man had died of "natural causes".
His body remained on board until April 24, when the ship finally docked in St Helena.
Mirjam left the vessel alongside her husband’s body and travelled to Johannesburg, South Africa. She later attempted to board a KLM flight to Amsterdam but became severely ill.
She briefly boarded the plane before being denied permission to fly. Airport staff removed her from the flight, and she was taken to the hospital, where she died the following day, on April 26.
Hantavirus is a group of viruses carried by rodents such as mice and rats and spread through their urine, droppings, and saliva.
Symptoms can appear between one and eight weeks after exposure and may include fever, fatigue, muscle aches, coughing, shortness of breath, and fluid buildup in the lungs.
As of Friday (May 8), the WHO said there were eight suspected cases linked to the ship, including three deaths.
On Sunday (May 10), MV Hondius officially arrived in Tenerife, sparking a major international response involving health officials, military police, and disaster response teams.
Spanish authorities said passengers will undergo health screenings before being evacuated in small groups of five to 10 using small boats.
They will then be transported by sealed-off buses directly to the island’s main airport, located roughly 10 minutes away, while their belongings remain on board the ship.
The evacuation process was expected to begin between 7:30am and 8:30am local time.
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