Dutch woman who died from hantavirus had boarded KLM flight in Johannesburg: Airline

A 69-year-old Dutch woman who recently died from a hantavirus infection spent some time onboard a KLM aircraft in Johannesburg, South Africa, before she was sent to the local hospital where she died the following day. The woman, her 70-year-old Dutch husband, and a German woman have died from the outbreak.

“Yesterday evening, the Dutch public health authority RIVM informed KLM that one of the Dutch nationals who died from hantavirus had briefly been on board a KLM aircraft in Johannesburg on April 25, 2026. Due to the passenger’s medical condition at the time, the crew decided not to allow the passenger to travel on the flight,” KLM acknowledged in a statement on Wednesday.

The three victims were all passengers on the Dutch flagged cruise ship, MV Hondius, which was operated by Oceanwide Expeditions. So far, five other passengers and crew have also either been confirmed to carry the hantavirus infection, or are considered likely to test positive.

The Dutch man first became symptomatic on April 6, and his condition deteriorated rapidly until his death five days later. His wife was already ill by April 24, when she disembarked in Saint Helena, a British island, where his remains were also removed from the ship. She then flew to Johannesburg on an Airlink flight with 82 passengers and 6 crew members, who are now being sought for contact tracing.

She grew quite ill on the flight to South Africa, but was still allowed on KLM flight 592 to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. “After the passenger was removed from the aircraft, the flight departed for the Netherlands,” KLM confirmed. The scheduled flight was a codeshare with Air France, Delta, and Scandinavian Airlines, and it took off at 11:15 p.m. local time on April 25.

“As a precaution, GGD is informing the passengers who were on board this flight,” the airline said, referencing the GGD municipal health services in the Netherlands. “KLM is working closely with the RIVM and the GGD and is following their guidance carefully.”

The same day the woman left the cruise ship, a British man went to the ship’s doctor “with febrile illness, shortness of breath and signs of pneumonia,” according to the World Health Organization. He was taken by medical evacuation from Ascension to South Africa on April 27 when his condition worsened, and he was hospitalized in intensive care.

The German woman reported having a fever and flu-like symptoms on April 28. That developed into pneumonia, and she died on May 2.