A deadly hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch‑operated cruise ship has killed three passengers and left several others ill, Dutch authorities said Thursday. About 40 passengers, including the wife of a deceased Dutch national, disembarked at the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena after the first death was confirmed on the vessel.

Dutch officials are now working to trace the passengers and possible contacts following the outbreak, which has already claimed multiple lives.

The passengers left the ship during a scheduled stop at St. Helena, according to the Dutch foreign ministry, and some later flew to South Africa and Switzerland. A woman who had disembarked with her husband’s body later died after collapsing at an airport in Johannesburg, while a man tested positive for hantavirus in Switzerland after also disembarking at St. Helena.

Additional evacuations include a British man flown to South Africa from Ascension Island several days after the outbreak began and three crew members, including the ship’s doctor, evacuated near Cape Verde and taken to Europe for treatment.

Dutch authorities have not yet released the locations of all passengers who disembarked. The next step will see authorities intensify contact tracing and coordinate with international health agencies to manage the outbreak and prevent further spread.