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Passengers Prepare to Leave Hantavirus-Stricken Cruise Ship; U.S. Awaits Iran's Response; Rubio and Witkoff Meet Qatari PM. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired May 10, 2026 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Passengers and some crew members are preparing to leave the cruise ship that has been at the center of a Hantavirus outbreak. The MV Hondius is now at port in the Spanish island of Tenerife. Earlier, the World Health Organization said none of the 147 people on board have symptoms of the virus that has killed three people in the past few weeks. Medical teams have boarded the vessel and confirmed that's still the case. Passengers and some crew will leave in sealed, guarded vehicles before being repatriated.

The WHO chief is in Tenerife to monitor the evacuations. He's reassuring residents and the rest of the world that the risk to public health is very low. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL: This disease is not COVID, and we have said it many times as WHO. And when we say this, we don't take it lightly. And then, of course, the other issue I'd like to say, which I also indicated in my message to the people of Tenerife, is the risk to the population, to the local population, is low.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Melissa Bell joins us live from Tenerife with the latest. So, Melissa, it'll be a complex operation taking place behind you there. Take us through what we're expecting to see.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, even now, on that ship now, just anchored, as you can see, just outside the port, that was the deal that was reached between local authorities and Madrid -- that's how close the ship could get. It's not going to get any closer to the shore than that. Everything's going to happen on the ship, Kim, and then people are going to be brought off by small boats.

But right now, what is happening is that the World Health Organization is aboard, and they've begun that screening process to try and check everybody's health, to have individual interviews with them to figure out where they are. And this will do two things. First of all, give them an idea of the state of health of the passengers. And what we understand is that they are, as when they left Cape Verde, asymptomatic. Then that will also allow authorities to get a better idea of what happened on the ship and to try and piece together information about the spread of this virus and what might happen next.

After they've been screened, little by little, the first groups will start to come off, Spanish nationals first of all, and they will be taken off of the ship by speedboat onto little buses. Everybody involved will be either Spanish military or health officials, all will be wearing FFP. They'll be then transferred straight on the planes that will be waiting for them on the tarmac, engines running, doors open, we understand, because what's been so interesting has been to watch the pains to which not just Spanish health authorities have gone, Kim, but also the World Health Organization has gone, to really reassure everyone every step of the way with a great deal of transparency about the protests, precisely because of those fears to which you alluded a moment ago.

As -- they go back to their home countries. Every country has its own protocols in place. But what we understand from those who've announced what they will be, there will be a quarantine period. So, all of these people taken back to a single facility, kept in quarantine for a bit, and then begins this long isolation period because you're talking about a minimum of 40 days. That's the recommendation from the World Health Organization.

But again, the fact of these transparent mechanisms or the organization of the day ahead of us, but also, I think the fact that Dr. Tedros, the head of the World Health Organization, is here in person, I think gives you an idea of just how keen everybody is to reassure the world that this is a contained outbreak on a single ship and that there is no danger either to people here in Tenerife or to their home countries where these passengers will finally be able to head back. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All those official reassurances. I'm sure there is plenty of worry there on the island about being possibly exposed to this. What have you been hearing?

BELL: There has been a lot of worry. There have been these protests. There was the initial ranking, Kim, between local authorities in Madrid about whether and how this ship should be allowed to approach Tenerife.

[04:05:00]

And then I think what you saw yesterday was super interesting in a very unusual public letter to the people of Tenerife, Dr. Tedros expressed himself, not thanking them, not just for making this possible, logistically in terms of the infrastructure here in Tenerife, but he said out of that sense of solidarity that we owe the people of this ship. And he used this very beautiful phrase saying that the best immunity really faced with an outbreak like this is solidarity. That is how you get to the bottom of it. And this ship had seen its access to other ports refused.

So, the fact that it's here, a testament really not just to the organization that's been put in place, but as Dr. Tedros says, the fact that there was a sense of solidarity and humanity was the word he used. And again, coming back to the people on the ship, it's very difficult to imagine how they would have felt this morning as the sun rose and they were within sight, finally, of land that would take them in. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, obviously, it would be a huge relief for so many people. Melissa Bell, thank you so much. For more, I want to go now to CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau, who is in Rome. So, Barbie, we heard there from Melissa what happens to the passengers right now. Let's go a bit forward to when the passengers get to their home countries. Take us through that process. Give us a bit more details.

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Kim, you know, there are 23 different nationalities represented here, and each country has been allowed to come up with their own plan and their own protocols. The 17 American passengers, for example, will be flown to Nebraska. They will be assessed and they will be determined how long they'll have to quarantine before then they have to stay in this isolation period. And so, each and every country has its own set of circumstances.

But what's also really interesting is what happens to the ship. You know, once all these passengers disembark and are flown out and they're not going to be allowed to get off that ship until their flight, their repatriation flight is ready, they don't want anyone sort of loitering around, then the ship will go on with a limited number of crew members to Rotterdam.

And so, that's going to be the next point at which people will be wondering and not necessarily maybe wanting that vessel. And let's listen to what the Spanish interior minister had to say about that process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FERNANDO GRANDE-MARLASKA, SPANISH INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): I can confirm that repatriation flights to France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands have already been scheduled to assist those European Union countries that do not have air transport resources available. The European civil protection mechanism has made two aircraft available and the necessary flights for the transfer will be scheduled throughout the course of today, Saturday.

MONICA GARCIA, SPAIN'S HEALTH MINISTER (through translator): I would also like to emphasize once again that the risk to the general public remains low. As for the Spanish passengers, once they arrive at Torrejon de Ardoz, they will be taken to Gomez Ulla hospital where they will undergo preventative quarantine under medical supervision in accordance with protocols approved yesterday by the public health committee.

(END VIDEO CLIP) NADEAU: And Kim, that wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but we did hear from the Spanish interior minister who said that that ship, and I believe it's more than a dozen crew members, will make its way to Rotterdam, will then go through a very, very crucial disinfection process and then the ship will have to be turned around, used again, who knows, but the ship will not stay in Tenerife and I think that is probably a great relief to the people of Tenerife. And then once those passengers are gone, they can go back to their holiday tourist season.

But in the meantime, today and tomorrow are going to be crucial days on that island and people will be waiting and watching and those passengers must surely feel a sense of relief, even though the uncertainty about what happens next to them is really unknown, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, exactly right. Barbie Latza Nadeau, thank you so much, appreciate it. I want to bring in Dr. Scott Miscovich, president and CEO of Premier Medical Group USA, and joins us live from Kailua, Hawaii. Good to see you again, thanks so much for being here with us. Great to get your expertise on this story. So, we know right now the WHO is on board screening those passengers. Take us through what's happening right now.

DR. SCOTT MISCOVICH, PRESIDENT AND CEO, PREMIER MEDICAL GROUP USA: Yes, Kim, and again, good to see you again. I think five years ago, six years ago, we were sitting here having a lot of COVID discussions over and over again.

Well, what's happening right now is they're first talking about symptomatology and now it's mostly going to be respiratory, but as we've seen in some of these passengers, it can be GI. So, basically almost any sign of illness is something they're looking for. And we have seen on the unfortunate three passengers that have died, the initial passengers, that they started to develop respiratory symptoms.

And it hasn't been brought up that within five days, both the husband and wife, Dutch couple died of their symptoms. That is so classic of the Andes variant because it affects the lungs and your lungs just fill up with secretions and you drowned with secretions.

[04:10:00]

So, essentially right now they're screening for symptoms. I'm hoping that they have now a PCR machine available on board. And they're also doing blood titers because that's how we would do it in a scientific way is check for IgG and IgM blood titers. And those would be definitive.

BRUNHUBER: It has low transmissibility, high mortality, unfortunately. And you were writing to me earlier sort of talking about that process. And it sounds like an absolutely terrible way to die as you described it. I mean, for those who might have symptoms, is there anything that can be done? What kind of treatments are available?

DR. MISCOVICH: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And that's why you have this 35 to 40 percent mortality rate, especially with the Andes variant. There's nothing but supportive care. There are no antivirals available that can be given to slow the shedding of this infection. So, basically, they're usually going to be put on ventilators and they're going to be, you know, put on life support.

BRUNHUBER: So, right now those patients that are on the ship right now, according to what we've been told, none of them have symptoms, which we're very thankful for. The 17 Americans on board the cruise ship, they'll be sent to Nebraska for assessment and testing. Take us through what that process will be like. What do you think they'll be going through? What kind of testing, quarantine, and then afterwards what happens to them?

DR. MISCOVICH: Well, it's already raised a little bit of a concern in our country because there's just not a real clear detail coming out of the CDC. Now, they are going there. They're supposed to be put into a facility and they're going to be evaluated by the appropriate medical staff. And then they are supposedly going to be voluntarily allowed to stay to observe for symptoms if they are asymptomatic. They didn't really state specifically what detailed blood testing that they would be doing at that time or perhaps chest X-rays, et cetera.

But one of the things that has most of us in this field very concerned about is they're saying that they're not going to keep them there through the quarantine period and they are going to let them return home to be on self-quarantine. That is people concerned overall. So, again, if anybody has symptoms, I'm certain they will put them into a quarantine facility and treat them medically. But not holding them at this stage is a little concerning to the public.

BRUNHUBER: Well, OK, you say some people are concerned. I'll ask you directly, are you concerned? And what is your concern here?

DR. MISCOVICH: Well, I have been saying this from the beginning of the outbreak and I'm going to state it now. I wish Dr. Tedros would be a little more explanatory to the world on why we shouldn't worry. And, Kim, this is not the next pandemic.

You know, we do have history of the Andes virus. In 2019, it broke out in a wedding. And the R0, that little R with a little zero that we've all studied during COVID, was only 2.2. What that meant in a very well public health detailed evaluation in a very close environment that only 17 people got it and many others that were close did not get it. So, one, it's not contagious. Why? Because there are two types of viruses that are RNA viruses. One is what's called a positive sense and the other is called a negative sense. No one has explained this to the world.

COVID was a positive sense. What that means is as soon as it entered the cell, it was ready to rip. It started replicating immediately, which is why we had symptoms three days after infection. Now, this virus is a negative sense, which means it's got to carry all its luggage into the cell. It's got to then flip itself upside down, provide its own enzymes, and start trying to replicate. And then the final point is we remember how any little nose or throat or tongue, the COVID with all those spikes touched you, bam, it grabbed on. This has very specific receptors that have to go way deep down to the beta-3 receptors, which are way in the bottom of the lungs to grab on. That is why we don't see any asymptomatic spread of this disease because it has worked so hard to get deep in your lungs that it creates symptoms.

[04:15:00]

So, when you combine all those along with the fact that this doesn't really mutate as much or cause recombination, Kim, this is going to be, it's been around and it hasn't spread, and this is not the next pandemic.

BRUNHUBER: It's an important point that you make there about it not mutating as much because, of course, we remember how all those different iterations of COVID and how some of them became more transmissible and so on. You're saying this will not be like that. It's a terrible disease, but great to end on a more reassuring note, Dr. Scott Miskovich. We'll be talking next hour. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

DR. MISCOVICH: Take care, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Coming up, the ship that is at the center of a deadly coronavirus outbreak is docked and its passengers are getting ready to safely return home. We'll have the latest on the evacuation effort coming up.

Plus, Iran is threatening to retaliate against the U.S. as Washington waits for Tehran's response to the latest peace proposal. We'll go live to Abu Dhabi with the latest developments. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: Passengers and some crew are preparing to evacuate from the luxury cruise ship struck by a deadly Hantavirus outbreak. The Dutch flagged ship is now docked in Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands. Medical teams have just tested those on board and have confirmed that no one is showing symptoms of the virus and will be cleared to leave. The outbreak was first reported to the World Health Organization on May 2nd. The World Health Organization says eight people have fallen ill and three have died. But they're making clear the outbreak doesn't pose a threat to public health.

The U.S. is moving ahead with diplomatic efforts in the Middle East as it waits for Iran's response to its latest proposal to end the war. On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with the Qatari prime minister, who also serves as foreign minister.

Meanwhile, Tehran is warning of a heavy assault against U.S. assets in the region if Iranian vessels face aggression. It says countries that sanction Iran will face problems when their vessels attempt to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. maintains a blockade of Iran's ships in the Strait. As a result, Iranians are being urged to limit electricity and gas usage, according to state media. I want to bring in CNN's Leila Gharagozlou, live from Abu Dhabi. So, Leila, bring us up to speed on the latest.

LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER: Yes. So, we're waiting for the Iranians to give a response to this latest U.S. proposal. Now, it is very up in the air and there's no clear indication on what the Iranians are going to say to this proposal. The proposal is just a framework from what we understand, which means that there will still be talks necessary, nuclear talks and also talks about Iran's missile program.

Now, given the tit-for-tat escalation that we've seen over the last week, there is this fundamental issue of trust between the Iranians and the Americans. The Iranians have made it very clear over the course of the last couple of months that they don't have a lot of trust in the Trump administration to stick to a deal, to get a deal. They've said that the Americans keep moving the goalposts.

And this issue of trust dates back to when President Donald Trump pulled out of the JCPOA. And with previous negotiations between the two sides. So, given that we're still in this kind of precarious situation and we are seeing these escalations, it's still very unclear where the things might go. But we do have a long road ahead in either case. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, a long road ahead, exactly. Leila Gharagozlou in Abu Dhabi, thanks so much. For more on this, I'm joined now from Berlin by Hamidreza Azizi, visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Thanks so much for being here with us. So, first off, just why do you think Iran hasn't given the U.S. its answer yet?

HAMIDREZA AZIZI, VISITING FELLOW, GERMAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND SECURITY AFFAIRS: Well, based on the reporting from inside the country and the arguments raised by pro-government experts that I could follow, there's two reasons here. On the one hand, they don't want to, you know, project this image of abiding by the deadlines posed by the Trump administration. So, it is in a way deliberate when Donald Trump says that the U.S. expects, for example, the Iranian response by the next day and then the Iranians deliver it in a few days. So, that's one thing. It's a matter of defiance.

On the other hand, there's a practical security reason here. There have been concerns that those deadlines and those pressures, warnings by the United States are aimed in a way at kind of pushing the Iranians into sort of accelerating their contacts within the leadership so that they can locate high-ranking officials like the supreme leaders, et cetera, who are involved in the decision-making process. And after locating them, maybe another round of decapitation and the resumption of war. So, the issue of lack of trust, which was mentioned by your colleague, plays a significant role here as well.

BRUNHUBER: That's an interesting angle that they are afraid to sort of be talking about this because they don't want to be located and possibly targeted. So, you're talking about the decision-making process. I want to ask you about who makes the final decision on a deal. And you wrote an interesting piece that just came out in Time magazine about the changed leadership structure in Iran. I want to quote here, "In the post-Ali Khamenei reality, power in Tehran has not reorganized around a single dominant leader." So, who is in charge then of making a decision on a deal? How does it work now exactly?

[04:25:00]

AZIZI: Yes. That's a very important change that has happened within the Islamic Republic political system. And the best way to describe it is regime transformation. I know that President Trump has indicated from time to time that there has been a regime change. Well, that's not the case in a standard sense of the war.

But now, the supreme leader, which used to be the final arbiter in the system under Ali Khamenei, is no longer that supreme because Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader, doesn't have the same religious credentials and nor the same political clause as his father's. And now, it is a kind of a more collective decision-making system based on a consensus-building mechanism. And it includes some senior officials, like Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the parliament, like the Chief Commander of the IRGC. All of them have military and security backgrounds. So, that's another reason that decision-making becomes a little bit slower.

That doesn't necessarily indicate that, you know, there's infighting, but it means that making consensus takes more time, and that's another challenge at the moment for the negotiations and the deal.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. OK. So, if you've got then this coalition of the security officials, IRGC, everybody weighing in, I guess it makes it slower for them to make a decision. Does it actually make it harder for Iran to say something like this proposal, or could it actually make a deal more durable because, you know, everybody essentially will have bought in?

AZIZI: It goes both ways. In the initial phases, what we are witnessing right now, when it comes to the detail of a potential deal, of course, they need to take into consideration the priorities and interests of all those actors involved, and not only that, also the constituency, the social support base of the Islamic Republic, which is a minority of very hardline, hardcore, ideologically oriented people, those same people who go still to the streets every night to show support for development. And, you know, any sign of weakness, any sign of bowing to pressure would be unacceptable to them.

So, this idea of a face-saving offer, this idea of a kind of a show of victory to the domestic audience, that's the case in Iran as much as it is in the United States. And all these factors together, all these factors combined, make it, of course, more difficult to reach to a deal. But when it is achieved, I think, as you mentioned, it can be more durable, in a way.

BRUNHUBER: Great to get your perspective on this. Hamidreza Azizi in Berlin, thank you so much. Ahead, we'll have more on the Hantavirus outbreak as health officials get ready to begin the disembarkation process. And what's next for the passengers and crew as they begin their journey home? We'll have that after the break. Stay with us.

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[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Passengers and some crew members from the Hantavirus hit cruise ship will begin to disembark in Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands as authorities launch a tightly coordinated international repatriation effort. Officials say none of the passengers on the ship now have symptoms. They'll be brought ashore in small groups before their home countries take over their transport to secondary facilities. Now, since the outset of this outbreak, there have been three deaths, but global health officials emphasize that the risk to the public is very low.

I want to go now to Boris Pavlin, who is there in Tenerife. He's field epidemiology team lead for the World Health Organization. Great to get your perspective on what's happening right behind you there on that ship. First of all, just straight up, what is happening exactly on board right now?

BORIS PAVLIN, TEAM LEAD, FIELD EPIDEMIOLOGY, WHO: Well, this morning the Spanish port health authorities aborted the ship as they always do when -- at a medical issue, and they are currently screening the remaining passengers and crew that are going to be offloaded shortly to make sure that nobody has any symptoms.

If somebody has symptoms that would be suggestive of Hantavirus, they need to be medically evacuated rather than simple repatriation. And there are -- eventuality. Although, as you said, there is currently nobody symptomatic on the ship as far as we know.

BRUNHUBER: OK. So, that update that I gave is correct right now, that none of the passengers have any symptoms, which is obviously great news and very reassuring. Is that in part why you're telling people that this is not a great public health risk right now?

PAVLIN: Yes. From the beginning, of course, we know that Hantaviruses are primarily transmitted from rodents to people. And we in South America, there are cases of Hantavirus occurring through the normal mechanism of infection through rodents. However, we do know that Andes Hantavirus has shown in the past a few cases of outbreaks where human to human transmission occurred through close contact.

In a ship, we have a very different setting than normally you have because ships are closed spaces and there are opportunities to interact with people that perhaps you don't know. It was very important for us to keep track and follow these cases as they developed and to follow the context to understand if perhaps casual contact could explain any transmission. And we're very reassured that to date that is not the case. It's consistent with our understanding to date that this requires close contact over a significant period of time. There's no exact answer on how long that can be.

But this means that not only -- the general public, as the passengers and crew are offloaded, because of the very tight coordination and the direct transfer to their repatriation flight.

[04:35:00]

But there's -- even when these passengers and crew return to their homes, even notwithstanding the quarantine that they will largely undertake, there is very little risk of anybody casually acquiring --

BRUNHUBER: You say the quarantine that they will largely undertake. I want to ask you about that. This is something that our last guest raised here on this program with me, that there doesn't seem to be a consistent quarantine protocol. I mean, the CDC says it isn't quarantining anyone and won't test people without symptoms. The European Health Agency says all passengers should self-quarantine for six weeks and be tested if possible. Spain has a different protocol. A leading antivirus doctor in Chile has said there's basically no established protocol for this. Shouldn't the WHO have clearer, more unified guidance on this?

PAVLIN: We actually have issued guidance on what we think should happen -- high-risk quarantining at home or institutional quarantine, that's necessary depending on the local arrangement, and that low-risk contacts should self -- should just monitor their symptoms. However, in this context, because of the out-of-abundance of precaution, we are considering that the people on the ship, the passengers and crew, are high-risk contacts.

Again, it -- there are very nuanced levels of exposure, even in the ship. But for now, the ship is high-risk contacts. We would not treat that the same as somebody who perhaps was in the same airplane but sitting far away from a person who went on a plane.

When it comes to the actual protocols, while we have issued those recommendations, every jurisdiction is sovereign and has to make choices based on their own local resources. For example, if you are very resource-limited, you may choose to be more precautious with contacts because you wouldn't be able to isolate a large number of patients should they become ill, although we don't expect them to.

So, ultimately, we're always going to see different applications in different countries with their own national arrangements, their own levels of resources, and their own risk tolerance.

BRUNHUBER: There are lots of different applications, as you say, to the guidance, but there is also a lot of international cooperation between different countries, between you and those countries. The U.S. pulled out of the WHO earlier this year. Are you confident that American health officials are getting the same access to good data and coordination on this outbreak that they would have before the withdrawal?

PAVLIN: So, the international cooperation continues. The United States is still a state party to the international health regulations, which is the binding health treaty under which WHO coordinates and facilitates sharing of information between national authorities. And I have -- from my own personal standpoint, the international cooperation has been exemplary.

Really, the data sharing has been transparent. Rapid, all in the interest of understanding what's happening here, making sure there's no -- and that there is close follow-up of every single person who could be -- and that they are taken care of.

BRUNHUBER: We're showing live pictures of this ship as we're waiting for those passengers and crew to be taken off. As you watch what happens behind you there, I know, obviously, you have scientific and medical interests in what's happening, but also, it's personal for you, I understand, because you've actually been on this very ship, I think, for your 50th birthday, right? So, what's going through your mind as you'll be watching these passengers come off this ship that you know very well?

PAVLIN: You know, my first thought was that, to pardon the pun, they run a tight ship. This is a very new and clean vessel. I had no concerns at the beginning of possible rodents on board, for example, which has been an ongoing public question. We've reconfirmed that through our colleagues on board. I also know that the operators are very professional and that they would be taking care of their clients the way that I experienced a very, very positive experience on this ship.

Nevertheless, I can imagine that there's a big difference between being there for fun, going on excursions and so on, getting off the boat, and being largely confined to their rooms and with very little to do and without the health background that would allow them to feel comfortable when there's an infection like this on board that most people haven't heard of.

[04:40:00]

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Listen, I really appreciate you coming on and giving us answers, alleviating perhaps some worries that so many folks have when a story like this comes along. I really appreciate it. Boris Pavlin, thank you so much.

PAVLIN: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. While we're keeping an eye on developments in the Canary Islands where that cruise ship hit by a Hantavirus outbreak is anchored and passengers are preparing to evacuate, we'll have the latest on that coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Let's get you up to speed with the latest on the cruise ship hit by a virus outbreak. Evacuations are set to begin from the MV Hondius, which is anchored at Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Medical teams say none of the passengers currently on the ship have symptoms. Passengers are expected to be brought to shore in small groups before flying home. At least six countries are sending planes to pick up their citizens. Three people have died on the vessel since the outbreak started. But health officials say the risk to the public from the virus is very low.

One person was killed in Colorado after jumping a fence at Denver International Airport and walking onto an active runway. That person was subsequently hit and killed by a Frontier plane. It was in the process of taking off. Here's CNN's Leigh Waldman with the details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Denver Police Department is still investigating this incident and trying to identify who this person is who jumped a fence at the Denver International Airport and ran across an active runway before they were struck and killed by a plane.

[04:45:00]

Now, we're hearing from the international airport itself saying that they do not believe this person was an employee of the airport. They have runway where this happened. That accident scene has been cleared and that runway is back open.

But we do want to go ahead and show you video of a slide set up to help those passengers. The 231 people on board this plane quickly evacuate that plane. Passengers describing a gruesome scene to CNN, saying this was almost a bomb-like explosion. They were very fearful of what happened on this plane. The plane itself was supposed to take off from Denver and head to Los Angeles. Obviously, the flight did not take place. Pilots aborted that takeoff.

But take a listen to the air traffic control audio from moments after this incident happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 4345, we're stopping on the runway. We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 4345, I see that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Southwest Frontier 4345, I'm going to be rolling the trucks now. Do you know the souls on board and fuel remaining?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. 4345, we have 231 souls on board. We have 21,320 pounds of fuel on board. There was an individual walking across the runway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. We are rolling the trucks down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got smoke in the aircraft. We're going to evacuate on the runway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALDMAN: We know that 12 people were hurt. Five of them were taken to local area hospitals. The transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, weighing in on what happened here online, posting, late last night, a trespasser breached airport security at Denver International Airport, deliberate scaled a perimeter fence, and ran out onto a runway. The trespasser on the runway was then struck by Frontier Airlines Flight 4345 during takeoff at high speed. The pilot stopped takeoff procedures immediately. No one should every trespass on an airport.

We know that those passengers were supposed to be on board this flight. Most of them were taken to their original destinations Saturday morning on a different frontier airline flight. The NTSB and the FAA are working together on this investigation.

Leigh Waldman, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And passengers are preparing to leave the cruise ship hit by a Hantavirus outbreak. Still ahead, we'll have the latest from the Canary Islands where the vessels anchored and evacuations are expected to begin. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:50:00]

BRUNHUBER: All right. A quick update on the cruise ship hit by a Hantavirus outbreak. You're looking at live pictures of the MV Hondius which is anchored in the Canary Islands and passengers are preparing to start disembarking. A plan is to evacuate them on small vessels in groups of up to 10. At least six countries are sending aircraft to pick up their citizens. The ship will later head to the Netherlands where the crew will disembark and the vessel will be disinfected. The World Health Organization emphasizes that the risk to the general public is very low.

A touching scene there, the parents of a terminally ill U.S. citizen were finally reunited with their son after being detained by homeland security. 18-year-old Kevin Gonzalez was visiting family in Chicago during Christmas when he fell ill. He was later diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. In a desperate bid to see their son one final time, his parents attempted to cross into the U.S. illegally from Mexico. They originally applied for a temporary visa but were denied. After the parents were released from DHS custody and deported to Mexico, their son flew to the Mexican state of Durango to be reunited with his family. Once reunited with their son, Kevin's mother said all she wanted was to be by his side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NORMA ANABEL RAMIREZ AMAYA, MOTHER OF KEVIN GONZALEZ (through translator): Yes, happy, happy, because that was what I wanted most, to be with him already. I just wanted to be with Nico. It was many hours of waiting, but it was worth it to be with him. And those tears are from emotion, from seeing him again, from touching him again, from telling him how much I love him.

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BRUNHUBER: Now, when he was asked how he wanted to spend Mother's Day, Kevin gave this response. Listen to this.

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KEVIN GONZALEZ, PARENTS DETAINED BY DHS (through translator): Giving her lots of hugs, over and over, which I couldn't do, and that would be all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: A Venezuelan couple made the difficult decision to leave their home and enter the U.S. illegally in order to receive medical care for their sick child. CNN's Carolina Peguero has their story.

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CAROLINA PEGUERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Carmen Teresa holds her daughter closely in her arms. When her daughter Abraniz (ph) was just 16 days old, doctors in Venezuela diagnosed her with the rare condition open spina bifida and detected a mass in her brain.

We can't be certain what kind of cyst she has, Carmen Teresa says, but it's having a significant impact on her health. Four years later, she has not been able to get the help she needs, which is why Carmen Teresa, along with her husband and their eight children, decided to cross one of the deadliest jungles that connects Colombia and Panama, known as El Darien, where hundreds of migrants die each year trying to make their journey to the United States.

In September of 2024, they entered the U.S. through Mexico and turned themselves in into Border Patrol, seeking asylum. Since then, they have been in and out of hospitals, but without legal status or insurance, Abraniz (ph) was placed on hospice and given only six months to live, while her father, Jorge, is currently detained by ICE in Florida for driving without a license.

She says it's been hard. They had been sleeping on the street for a month and a half when her husband was arrested last New Year's Eve. ICE says he will receive full due process and remain in custody through his proceedings, while this local shelter in Miami is now the family's temporary home.

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OLIVIA MUNOZ, "HERMANOS DE LA CALLE" ORGANIZATION: He's been detained for a while now, and we don't know if he's coming out, when he's coming out. If he's coming out, is he going to Venezuela

PEGUERO (voice-over): In the meantime, Carmen Teresa says she is just looking for a light at the end of the tunnel, where her daughter can get the care she deserves and once again be united with her husband.

We are the ones who came here to work hard, the ones who came here with a purpose, she says. In my case, my daughter, my children, and my family, we are paying the price.

Carolina Peguero, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is stoking controversy after staging a road trip marking America's 250th birthday amid high gas prices and ethical questions. In a return to his reality TV roots, he's filmed a five-part series called "The Great American Road Trip." Have a look.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: What a beautiful family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. It's just ahead, Mr. President. Just ahead of President Trump.

TRUMP: Taking a little trip?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, sir.

TRUMP: A little trip all over.

SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: So, the motto is to love America is to see America. It's more than a road trip. It's a civic experience. It's one of the most powerful ways to understand the vast, beautiful, complicated place we call home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Critics say the show's sponsors are all companies that Duffy's agency oversees, including Boeing, Toyota, and United Airlines. Duffy has defended the project, saying there's no conflict and no taxpayer money was used. Duffy and his wife, Fox News host Rachel Campos Duffy, met while filming an MTV reality show. Their nine children are part of the series.

Well, that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more in just a moment. Stay with us.

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