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Passengers Begin To Leave Hantavirus-Stricken Cruise Ship; First Qatari Tanker Crosses Hormuz Since Start of War; Dutch Authorities Take Pornography Site Motherless Offline. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired May 10, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:34]

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. This is "CNN Newsroom."

Spain's health ministry says the first group of passengers aboard the MV Hondius have disembarked. The rest of the 87 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. And passengers and some crew will leave in sealed, guarded vehicles before being repatriated.

The World Health Organization says, though the process is intense, it doesn't mean that the people on board the ship pose a public health threat. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, DIRECTOR FOR EPIDEMIC AND PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS AND PREVENTION, WHO: Right now, we as WHO, we classify everybody on board as what we call a high-risk contact. That might sound scary, but it's really what -- it's -- it's how we will operationalize the movement of the passengers and the crew safely home.

So, the risk to the general public is low. The risk to the people in the Canary Islands is low. So, we do need to continue to contextualize this because -- because of all the attention right now, people may think that the risk is growing. It's not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Barbie Latza Nadeau is standing by in Rome to tell us what comes next. But first, Melissa Bell is in Tenerife with the latest. So, Melissa, we've been told passengers are disembarking there. What are you seeing? And walk us through what happens next.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Finally, after these more than five weeks that they've spent on this virus-stricken cruise (technical difficulty). So, what we've seen over the course of the last half hour or so, Kim, our little boats taking (technical difficulty) this bus head off the first (technical difficulty) good that the Spanish citizens will be the first off, and that has now begun. Imagine (technical difficulty) the plane that is waiting for them at Tenerife Airport, not very far away from here.

Once all of the Spanish nationals are aboard, that flight will then (technical difficulty) be kept for seven days under quarantine with no visits allowed, Kim.

So once the -- this part of the ordeal is over, it isn't quite finished yet, because that is for the case of Spain. Beyond that, there will be these strict isolation procedures put in place, because as we've just been hearing from someone from the World Health Organization, it is a six-week period that they're recommending.

Normally, symptoms appear between 20 to 25 days. But to be absolutely safe, they're recommending that everyone, when they get home, respect this more long isolation period. That's as far as the Spanish citizens are concerned. But then you're going to see over the course of the day, Kim, other nationalities taken off the ship. Similarly, in small batches brought to the tent, put on the buses and then taken to the airport. We know that the Americans, for instance, would be heading to that special quarantine unit in Nebraska.

We understand now that the British passengers will be taken to the United Kingdom and to a military hospital there near Liverpool. So, every country has put in place these protocols. And we've been hearing again and again throughout the day, the World Health Organization, the Spanish authorities reassuring everyone that there is no contact between any of these passengers and anyone here in Tenerife.

The only people they're going to be seeing today as they come off the ship are either Spanish military personnel, Spanish health personnel or World Health Organization personnel, all of them wearing FFP2 masks.

BRUNHUBER: Melissa, I know they are trying to allay fears there, but still, certainly the mood must be, you know, a bit, you know, cautious, to say the least there on that island. How are people there feeling about what's -- what's going on there?

BELL: Well, I think one of the things that's been so interesting is to see the great lengths and pains the World Health Organization and Spanish authorities have gone through to make this process as transparent as they could, but also to keep reassuring the public, not least in a personal message that Dr. Tedros, the World Health Organization Director, sent directly to the people of Tenerife yesterday, explaining this was not the next COVID. There was no risk of a major outbreak, thanking them for their humanity and solidarity and accepting this ship here just off of their coast today.

[05:05:04]

But to your point about the fear that this is instilled in people, we're just speaking to someone from the World Health Organization who's helping to oversee this operation. I think one of the things that's worrying to people is that this is such a little-known virus. The Andes train that transmits person to person that authorities, World Health Organization, have been learning from it as it develops.

For instance, what's happened with the contact cases that resulted from that first batch of passengers getting off a couple of weeks ago in St. Helena, and unbeknownst to them, getting on flights, passing it on to others, contact cases in at least seven countries that are being monitored. And that allows them to get a better idea of how this virus transmits.

And one of the latest things they're realizing is that it really is a virus that appears to transmit when a person is symptomatic and at very close quarters with another. So, that is another important distinction to be made with the COVID virus.

But again, Dr. Tedros, speaking to that in his message to the people of Tenerife yesterday, in these post-COVID times, it is absolutely understandable that people would be super worried about any potential transmission. There's no risk. The people coming off the ship, even now on the boats, are high risk. They've been categorized that way specifically so that the protocols are put in place to protect other people wherever it is they land later.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, and as you're speaking, we're seeing some of those protocols as we're seeing people in full body PPE gathering around those buses and taking some of the protective material off the buses that will transport presumably some of those Spanish passengers who will be the first to go onto those airplanes.

Melissa Bell, your signal was choppy, but it was still great to get you there on the scene reporting from Tenerife. Thank you. We'll check back in with you a little later.

I want to go now for more to Barbie Latza Nadeau. So, Barbie, Melissa took us to the point where the passengers are going to be repatriated. Take us through the next leg of the passenger's journey. What happens when they get back home?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yeah, you know, all of the individual countries who have nationals on that vessel have been allowed to formulate their own plan based on their own country's protocols. We know that the American passengers, those 17 who will be going to Nebraska, will undergo an initial assessment. Then they'll undergo an assessment once they're in Nebraska.

And then we understand they're going to be allowed to quarantine and isolate at home, not in a hospital. Instead, the Spanish, we understand, will be staying in the hospital for a period of time. So, all of the various countries have their own plans in place.

And that is going to be worrying or comforting, depending on just how strict those measures are. But what's also important now is what happens to the vessel. After all of the passengers are taken off the vessel and taken to the airport with very little contact at all, if any, to anyone on the island, that vessel is going to be going on with a small crew to Rotterdam. And there it will be disinfected. And the process of what happens to that vessel after, of course, has not been announced yet.

But let's listen to what the Spanish Interior Minister had to say about the vessel itself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FERNANDO GRANDE-MARLASKA, SPANISH INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): We understand that the shipping company plans to repatriate around 17 crew members and leave the rest on board to continue the journey to its final destination. In other words, once the disembarking passengers and crew have been repatriated, the ship will continue its journey to the Netherlands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LATZA NADEAU: And so, Kim, it's not over yet. When the situation here or there in Tenerife finishes, it's -- you know, the vessel will take a couple more days to get up to Rotterdam, and then we'll continue to watch and wait and see if any of these cases, people who are not symptomatic, become symptomatic, hopefully not. And there are a number of these contact cases being watched, including four here in Italy and several other countries, people who may have had contact with some people on those airplanes.

So, as this unfolds, the World Health Organization, you know, very, very assuring about how this is not COVID and how this is -- we shouldn't be thinking of it in those terms. But boy, it sure is hard to look at these pictures and not remember back to those days six years ago when -- when the world didn't know what to expect. This time, it seems a lot different and it's a lot differently managed.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. Barbie Latza Nadeau, thanks so much. And we'll come back to you as well in a little bit.

For now, I want to bring in Dr. Scott Miscovich, President and CEO of Premier Medical Group USA, and he joins us live from Kailua, Hawaii.

Good to see you again. So, last we spoke, the passengers were still on the ship. Now, according to the Spanish authorities, some have been brought to Tenerife. Reassuring news, none of the passengers are symptomatic. That's what we're being told. I want to get your thoughts just on the process that we're seeing unfold before our eyes here.

SCOTT MISCOVICH, PRESIDENT & CEO, PREMIER MEDICAL GROUP USA: You know, Kim, as I'm sitting here with you over the past hour and a half listening to this, you know, the thing that comes to mind for me is, this is terrific. Why is it terrific? Because the world has learned. We learned from the past pandemic. We're taking all the proper precautions right now.

[05:10:20]

So, when I'm hearing the detail of the great reporting we just had from the two ladies, this is exactly what you want to do when you have something where you have a major question.

So, I'm very pleased to see what they're doing. As we talked about last hour, it's probably overkill because this virus is not COVID. But overall, I'm very pleased that they're all in full PPE, that all the countries are preparing. But I do want to note this, Kim. Where's the U.S.? Where's the CDC? We're just nowhere to be found, which is a concern for Americans because of how much we've dropped out of the world.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Well, listen, I was going to ask you some other questions first, but since you just brought this up, I mean, the U.S. pulled out of the WHO earlier this year. Some public health experts are saying that this means that we don't have access to the same surveillance data, contact tracing on this outbreak. On top of that, we have cuts to the CDC.

In a case like this, I mean, it may not be for this particular outbreak because of some of the things that we've talked about, but certainly it does bring it to mind. Are we more vulnerable now? Are you worried?

MISCOVICH: Oh, absolutely. We are more vulnerable as a country than we ever could have been. And also just look who is standing up on top of running these organizations. We don't have medical people. They've cut their budgets, what, nearly in half. And, you know, the -- the international components of the CDC, we always had a major presence in a lot of the areas where you had all of these zoonotic infections, which is what we're worried about as the population grows.

And we could be right there on the front lines with our science, with our expertise. It's gutted. It's gone. And so, I think we are vulnerable as a country and the world is more vulnerable because we're not investing as much. We know how much our budgets have cut. So, yeah, I'm very concerned.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, let's focus on what we're seeing here. We're seeing some of the passengers presumably being taken away now in one of those buses, Spanish passengers, the first to come off the ship.

And later, American passengers as well will be repatriated. We know the CDC is sending a team to meet those American passengers. They'll be taken by charter flight back to the U.S. Take us through what happens to those Americans once they're back on American soil.

MISCOVICH: Well, they're going to be evaluated by medical personnel and hopefully very well-trained infectious disease personnel. They should have a complete evaluation looking for any inch of any respiratory symptoms, which is key with the antivirus and any even GI symptoms or fever. And again, they have not announced it, but I'm hoping they are doing the PCR, which we're all familiar with in the nose, and doing blood tests for the antivirus IgG and IgM, which will be very definitive of any active infection.

But as we've talked about prior, there's usually not asymptomatic carriers of this virus. So then the other thing that concerns me with the loose information we're getting out of Nebraska is they are claiming that if patients are asymptomatic and request to go home, they're sending them home to be on home isolation. We know what that was like during COVID. It didn't work out too well.

BRUNHUBER: Can you just -- when we hear, you know, they're being sent to Nebraska, many of our viewers might wonder, like, why Nebraska? Why a facility there? Can you take us through why -- why they're being taken there specifically?

MISCOVICH: Well, that is the number one quarantine isolation facility that has been built and prepared for anything like this breaking out, any type of infectious disease or anything that is so crucial that it needs to be isolated. So, it's a large facility that can accommodate a significant number of patients and keep it isolated and, you know, has the ventilation where it doesn't, you know, leave the building and it's prepared for this. So, that's why Nebraska.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. We're watching live pictures. We saw moments ago a bus pull away full of people in full PPE. Presumably those were some of the passengers of the ship. And we're just watching some more live pictures of those buses waiting for presumably more passengers.

[05:15:08]

In the meantime, some of the passengers who got off the ship earlier, and I mean, before they got to Spain, maybe weeks ago, some of them are hospitalized, I believe, in six different countries from South Africa to Switzerland. How much concern is there for you that this has already spread into the community in a much larger way?

MISCOVICH: Well, I think, you know, I have studied this fairly intensely. All of these individuals, except the one lady that was sitting on the one flight that was transporting an infected woman, she -- all the others were in close contact with the index case. We believe the index case is the gentleman who died from the Netherlands and his wife.

And so we really, from what I can tell right now, only have one person outside the ship. And then if you think about the fact we had 147 individuals on that ship, and you know, when you count the extra staff, et cetera, almost 200 individuals, and then we only had seven people infected, that also tells you that they had to have very close contact, because that seven out of that number is not a very high percentage compared to when we had COVID, you know, half the ship would walk away infected.

So, what we do know about this virus is that particle has to get very deep inside the lungs and find receptors deep in the lungs. So, that's why it's believed this is truly really close contact with a large amount of secretions that are infected to spread. So, it's not going to be just this random walking by 15 second exposure that could give people COVID. It has to be very close contact and prolonged contact. BRUNHUBER: Yeah, it's interesting watching this happen, this process that you called terrific seeing, you know, people taking all the precautions. It's a balancing act, right? Because they also -- they have to take all these precautions, but also sort of tap down fears, because they are saying it is not a huge public health risk, but still worth taking all of those precautions, because as you told us in the last hour, this disease is very, very dangerous.

Really appreciate getting your expertise on this, Dr. Scott Miscovich. Thank you so much.

MISCOVICH: Great seeing you again, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, and we'll have much more on this throughout the hour. It's still ahead, Iran is threatening to retaliate against the U.S. as Washington waits for Tehran's response to the latest peace proposal. Live to Jerusalem with the latest developments. Stay with us.

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[05:21:53]

BRUNHUBER: 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 Whitkoff 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.

Earlier, a Qatari tanker loaded with liquid natural gas crossed the strait and is on its way to Pakistan, according to ship tracking data. It's the first Qatari-owned and operated tanker to cross the waterway since the war with Iran began.

For more on this, I'm joined now by CNN's Jerusalem Bureau Chief Oren Liebermann. So, Oren, on that U.S. proposal, still no answer from Iran.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: It was on Friday that President Donald Trump said they were expecting that evening a response from Iran to the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal to end the war. It's now two days later, and here we are still waiting for that Iranian response. And what that goes to show is that Iran simply isn't feeling the pressure to move this along quickly, to try to rush to a deal, crucially to make concessions on any of the key issues that the U.S. is going for, that is the highly enriched uranium, nuclear facilities, or anything else. Iran feels that time is on its side, and it's willing to drag out these negotiations, or at the very least, not rush them along.

Meanwhile, we have seen some continued exchanges of fire between the U.S. and Iran over the weekend and late last week. But what's really escalating here is the rhetoric.

Iran has said that if its tankers are disabled or if its forces are under attack, it will carry out what it calls a heavy assault against U.S. military facilities in the region. We have already seen late last week Iran fired at U.S. warships that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command. And after that, following that, and in retaliation, the U.S. carried out strikes on Iranian military facilities, though neither side seemed to handle it as a major violation of the ceasefire, and it clearly didn't lead to all- out war. It shows how volatile the entire situation remains as there is an effort to try to move forward negotiations here.

But right now that very much, at least from the U.S. perspective, relies on Iran responding to the latest U.S. proposal. To try to move things along, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff met with a Qatari prime minister. Qatar doesn't seem to be taking a leading role here, but they're trying to work to ensure that Pakistan's mediation efforts show progress. And that's what we're really waiting to see right now because this entire process seems stuck.

Iran, meanwhile, has made clear that they view the Strait of Hormuz as one of their own strategic assets, and they've said and made clear they're not willing to give it up in negotiations. That creates a major hurdle diplomatically to try to get negotiations to go anywhere.

So, it'll be crucial to see how the U.S. handles this. It's also worth noting that a Qatari vessel loaded with liquefied natural gas passed the Strait of Hormuz early this morning. It is the first Qatari vessel to pass the Strait since this war began now more than two months ago.

[05:25:07]

The U.K.'s maritime agency said another vessel also came under attack on Sunday. So, it shows the threats that that ships not only are still under, but still feel they are under. And that is why the Strait remains effectively and largely closed.

BRUNHUBER: All right, I appreciate that. Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. Thanks so much.

At least 22 people are dead after Israel's latest wave of attacks in Lebanon, according to Lebanon's state news agency, which says the victims included four children. Israel says it killed ten Hezbollah members and hit dozens of the group's sites over the weekend, while Hezbollah claims it carried out more than 20 attacks on Israeli troops on Saturday. Now, this is happening as a ceasefire is technically in place, which both sides accuse the other of violating.

All right, still to come, a stressful, scary, grief-filled cruise comes to an end as passengers aboard the hantavirus cruise ship are starting their journeys home. That's ahead. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Let's check some of today's top stories.

Iran has vowed to retaliate against U.S. assets if its ships face further attacks during the country's fragile ceasefire. The warning comes as Washington maintains a blockade of Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. On Friday, a U.S. fighter jet disabled two Iran- flagged tankers that were said to be attempting to avert the blockade.

At least 22 people are dead after Israel's latest strikes in Lebanon. The country's state news agency says the victims of Saturday's attacks included four children. Israel says it hit dozens of Hezbollah sites this weekend and killed 10 militants. A ceasefire is in effect in Lebanon, but each side claims the other one is violating it.

[05:30:04]

Spain's health ministry says passengers have begun to disembark from the cruise ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak. Earlier, medical teams boarded the ship to ensure that the 147 passengers and crew didn't show signs of the virus. The passengers and crew members who will disembark will then travel on secure vessels to the Tenerife airport and will fly home to be monitored. The World Health Organization 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, the risk to the population, to the local population, is low.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right, for more, I want to bring back CNN's Melissa Bell reporting live from Tenerife. So, Melissa, we've been watching as passengers got off the ship, and some of them got onto buses to be taken to those airplanes. Take us through the process now, and we're looking at some live pictures of people in protective gear at the airplanes. We're not exactly sure if those are passengers or not, but tell us what we know so far.

BELL: Well, we'd heard so much, Kim, about what was planned in this very transparent process, very carefully coordinated, very properly communicated in order, I think, to reassure everyone. And there is a very large media presence here today to see the beginning of these transfers happen. And to see them physically, at last, is super interesting.

Essentially, it is little boats that are going back and forth towards the ship itself, bringing back in small groups the nationals of a particular country, because the plan had always been, Kim, that the nationals would be passengers and crew would be taken off the ship, put onto these little buses, and then put onto a single plane going back to their destination. That was the way that people of the public here in Tenerife did not have to be concerned about the fact that any of these passengers, who are high risk, says the World Health Organization, and need to be monitored, will head straight to quarantine and then face isolation (technical difficulty). And so, it's gone so far.

We've seen two busloads now of those Spanish citizens being brought to the plane that will take them onto Madrid. And over the course of the day, and into tomorrow, we understand, we're going to see those groups of passengers and crew make their way through the bus system and onto their airplanes and onto their home countries, where all of them will be facing quarantine (technical difficulty), arrive at some form of isolation for a long time. (Technical difficulty) the World Health Organization is recommending.

As far as the ship itself, Kim, it is 17 crew members that are getting off the ship here in Tenerife. Another 30 are going to stay on board. It goes on to (technical difficulty), its full disinfection process. All the luggage will be disembarked and then sent back to have coming off luggage here today.

The first ones today to come off, the last ones will be, I understand, the Australians, who will come off only tomorrow because of some delay with their flight. So, this is a process that will last throughout the day. (Technical difficulty).

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll have to thank you there, Melissa Bell. Apologize for her choppy signal.

I want to go to Barbie Latza Nadeau, who has more on this. So, Barbie, we were hearing there what happens to the passengers once they get off that ship. Take us through the next leg, then, when they fly to their home countries. What happens then?

LATZA NADEAU: Yeah, you know, each of the countries, there are 23 represented on that vessel, have come up with their own protocol and their own plan. So, once the passengers make it off the vessel, once they've gone through the initial assessments, once they get to the airport and on those planes, then it really is up to the individual countries.

We know that the 17 Americans will be going to a hospital initially in Nebraska, and we know that after that, if they are not symptomatic, they will be allowed to isolate at home. We know other countries are a little bit more strict. We understand that the Spanish passengers will have to be staying in the hospital, military hospital near Madrid.

And again, the U.K. passengers will be going to a hospital in Liverpool. And, you know, it really is going to be up to the individual countries. But this is all very well planned out, and we're seeing that, those various levels, the protective gear, the caution, and the transparency. And that's something, you know, that I think is trying, is at least an attempt to calm the population, because it is impossible to look at these pictures and not think back six years ago to COVID.

[05:35:08] And WHO has been very, very, very adamant about saying this virus is not COVID. It is not the same situation. It is absolutely under control. And that there's no, or we should say low risk to the population there in the Canary Islands. But it is very difficult. Those people who are planning their vacations to the Canary Islands, a very popular spot, of course, would be concerned.

And the local population are concerned about the tourists who may decide not to go there. But we also know after the vessel has completely disembarked, a small crew will go on to Rotterdam with the vessel, where it will be disinfected, where all of the luggage of all the passengers will obviously have to go through some sort of process before it joins their, you know, its owner.

And all of that is yet to come. And then we'll be looking closely, watching every single passenger, individual country, how they're managing, and if there are any symptoms, because the incubation period, as we understand, is very long. And so, the isolation will have to have to accommodate that, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate that, Barbie Latza Nadeau, thank you so much.

All right. So, as we were watching those pictures of that plane being loaded here, I want to bring in emergency physician, Dr. Owais Durrani. He's joining us live from Houston, Texas. So, thank you so much for being here with us. We've been watching this morning as those passengers have come off the cruise ship.

We're seeing now one of the buses presumably taking those passengers to the airplane. The first passengers coming off were all Spanish. They'll be taken to a military hospital in Spain. So, we're watching those pictures here. As we have been monitoring this process take place, what are you making of everything that we've been seeing so far?

DR. OWAIS DURRANI, EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: Yeah, absolutely. I would say I'm encouraged, right? We are seeing a response that is very organized, very coordinated. It -- it has quite a bit of transparency. We're getting constant updates on what's going to happen, when it's going to happen.

And then, obviously, as the reporter alluded to, each country's public health organization is going to deal with it in a little different way once those passengers get to those countries.

But there has been a lot of transparency, which I have been encouraged by. The other kind of main thing I'm encouraged by is most and all of these passengers, as far as we know, are currently asymptomatic. And so, that is encouraging as well. Obviously, that doesn't mean they're out of the woods, but it's a good place to be starting at.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. Huge news that they were asymptomatic so far. So, some of those coming off will be taken back to the U.S., those American passengers. Any concerns about the process there in terms of their quarantine and monitoring at that hospital in Nebraska? DURRANI: Yeah, I think they're following the science on this, right? They are going to this national quarantine unit that is very well prepared for this. This is the same kind of location where they handled some of the Ebola cases, some of the initial COVID cases of patients coming off ships.

And so this is a facility that is trained for this. And so they're going to the right place. They're also going to, obviously, then kind of go through a variety of physical exams, vital signs, testing, and things of that nature there.

There is obviously some people, you know, kind of express shock in terms of like, wait, they're not going to be there for the full six to eight weeks. Why are they going to go kind of back to their home states and whatnot? And two reasons for that, right? This is a virus that is very hard to pass human to human. It's not, you know, if I had it and I walk into a room, very low chances that someone else is going to get it. This isn't measles, this isn't flu or COVID or anything like that.

And so, that's reason number one. And then reason number two, of course, they are -- this is going to be assuming they are asymptomatic when they go back to their home states. And so, as far as we know, based on all the literature and data, you can't pass this when you are asymptomatic.

So, unlike COVID where asymptomatic spread was a thing, that's not a thing here based on what we know so far. And so, those two reasons give me assurance that what they're doing is based on the science.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. One of the important distinctions you made there from COVID. So, you talked about across the country now, there are, I understand now nine former passengers being monitored in six states. Those are people who got off the ship before the outbreak was identified, not these passengers here.

So, two of those are there where you are in Houston. They're now back home monitoring themselves. I mean, what does that monitoring actually look like day to day? And is that enough?

DURRANI: Yeah, I mean, it is enough. So, first of all, they are briefed on what the symptoms to watch out for are. And so with this, they are nonspecific viral symptoms. So, the initial symptoms are going to be similar to a flu or a common cold, and that's going to be the body aches, fever, maybe nausea, vomiting, low energy. They're taking their temperatures daily based on what the Texas Health Department has told us. And so, those are the initial symptoms.

[05:40:06]

Obviously, if they were to get those symptoms, then they're going to have that escalation of what comes next. But those are the symptoms that they're going to be watching out for. And yeah.

BRUNHUBER: So, what is the mood there in the city? I mean, are folks despite what you said about, you know, not being able to spread it asymptomatically and so on, certainly people will be seeing pictures like this of people in full body PPE and perhaps be scared. I mean, are folks there in Houston scared that it may have spread already?

DURRANI: Yeah, there -- I mean, there is -- I would say collective PTSD is the best probably thing I could call it, right? We're not that far from the pandemic. And we realized that the last time we went something through this and we said, hey, it was going to be OK. Unfortunately, it wasn't okay.

And so, you know, I actually had a patient, I worked a E.R. shift yesterday, I had a patient who happened to have been at the airport, can't come in and had some general nonspecific viral symptoms. And they were worried. They're like, hey, should I be worried about this? And, you know, I reassured them that they should not. But yeah, there is a collective sense of, you know, hey, these individuals are here. Did they go through the airport? When was that? Did I go through that phase at the airport? Or did I pass them in the commuter? Things of that nature. So, there is a sense of, you know, uncertainty and fear.

But once again, I would point to the fact that, you know, we know who these individuals are. They're being monitored. They're in touch with the health department. The World Health Organization, you know, is being very transparent about the things that are happening. And so those are all good signs. And right now, I would say, you know, stay informed, but no reason to panic.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, these passengers will now be going back to their communities stateside after being monitored. And certainly it's good to get your expertise here to perhaps tamp down some of those fears and keep things in perspective, even though people have to be vigilant.

Dr. Oweis Durrani, thank you so much.

DURRANI: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: A pornographic website taken offline in the wake of a CNN investigation. We'll have the latest on the "Motherless" website, which has faced international condemnation. Stay with us.

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[05:45:22]

BRUNHUBER: A pornography website at the center of a CNN investigation has been taken offline. Dutch authorities have now shut down "Motherless," a platform linked to gender-based violence and sexual assault. Prosecutors had opened a preliminary investigation into CNN's findings, which had sparked international condemnation. An analysis by a Dutch broadcaster found that some of the site's most viewed videos were those tagged with the word incest.

Saskya Vandoorne has more on these developments. And a warning before we begin. This report contains accounts from survivors of sexual assault and abuse. Now, those who appear on camera gave their consent, and the wishes of those who asked to remain anonymous were respected. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: We've just learned that the porn site Motherless has been taken offline by Dutch authorities. Now, that is the site that CNN investigated for hosting videos that appear to show drugged women being sexually assaulted or raped, also known as "sleep" content. Huge numbers of videos are being posted by users who claim it's non-consensual.

One website profiting from this is "Motherless.com." Last year, we began investigating a porn site that gets over 60 million visits a month, focusing on the thousands of videos featuring women who appear unconscious during sex acts. One popular hashtag is eye check, a way of proving a woman is asleep.

Our months-long investigation into "Motherless.com" and telegram groups linked to the site quickly spread across the world and went viral on social media.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A recent CNN investigation found --

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUE)

VANDOORNE: And now, the news comes that "Motherless" is being deplatformed.

Dutch authorities say they've taken action as Motherless' servers have been physically located in the Netherlands for years. The public broadcaster NOS also reported on the Netherlands' connection to the platform following CNN's investigation, adding momentum to calls for action.

DAVID VAN WEEL, DUTCH MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND SECURITY: We do have a police force in the Netherlands, as well as the public prosecution service. They have now seen a reason to take this site offline, and I think it's a good development.

VANDOORNE: For survivors, the takedown feels like a big moment of recognition.

AMANDA STANHOPE, SURVIVOR: It's under investigation, and I can't -- what that means for survivors is, finally, finally, we have been validated. This crime is being validated. These people are being held accountable.

ZEO WATTS, SURVIVOR: To see what the power of us standing united and good reporting has done is absolutely incredible.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): "Motherless" was hosted on servers in the Netherlands by NFOrce, a company based in Steenbergen. In a statement on Thursday, NFOrce said it had launched an urgent compliance and abuse handling review, giving "Motherless" 12 hours to respond. NFOrce later told CNN that it does not operate, manage, moderate or control customer platforms or their content.

VANDOORNE: While survivors and advocacy groups welcomed the news, they warned that the site or similar networks could reappear elsewhere on other servers.

Saskya Vandoorne, CNN (inaudible).

(END VIDEOTAPE) \ BRUNHUBER: And on Friday, NFOrce posted the response it said it received from "Motherless." In a statement, "Motherless" says that they'd conducted a comprehensive review of all content associated with the allegations, removed prohibited materials and suspended or banned accounts found to be associated with the material.

One person was killed in Colorado after jumping the fence at Denver International Airport and walking onto an active runway. The victim was hit by a frontier plane as it was taking off, but takeoff was quickly aborted and everyone on board was forced to evacuate. The plane was headed to Los Angeles with 224 passengers and seven crew members. One passenger shows what it was like to exit the aircraft.

(OFF MIC)

BRUNHUBER: Firefighters had to extinguish an engine fire after smoke filled the cabin. 12 passengers reported minor injuries. The victim hasn't been identified, but officials say they're not an airport employee.

We'll be back with more here on "CNN Newsroom." Stay with us.

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[05:53:38]

BRUNHUBER: The NBA playoffs saw two conference semifinal matchups on Saturday night. We'll start with reigning champs the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. still without star Luka Doncic kept things close in the first half, but the Thunder pulled away in the second, winning comfortably 131-108. OKC now has a 3-0 series lead and can sweep the Lakers with another win on Monday.

And in the Eastern Conference, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a win over the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. The final score in Cleveland was 116-109, but the Pistons still lead the best-of-seven series two games to one.

While K-pop supergroup BTS is back in Mexico this week as part of their comeback world tour, it's been nearly a decade since the band has performed in Mexico, and the demand to see the group has only grown.

Ben Hunte has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saludamos, dos, tres. We are BTS.

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): The K-pop band BTS is electrifying audiences in Mexico City, thrilling fans at sold-out shows filled with fireworks, booming sing-alongs, and even a few phrases in Spanish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you so much. Thank you. Te amo.

HUNTE: Mexico City is the first Latin American stop of the BTS worldwide tour. The band last played in the Mexican capital nine years ago, and since then, its fan base has exploded.

[05:55:11]

LAURA MEDINA, BTS FAN (through translator): The truth is there are so many of us, even millions, worldwide, army as a fandom has grown a lot. And right now, here in Mexico City, K-pop, and in this case, BTS fans, there are a lot of us.

HUNTE: Last year, Spotify ranked Mexico as the fifth-largest market in the world for K-pop music, and many fans say their love of BTS hits deeper than just the music, because their lyrics often deal with issues of mental health and self-growth.

FRIDA YAEL, BTS FAN: They helped me through a lot of depression, and their UNICEF campaign and all of that they do kind of taught me to have self-esteem.

ATZIRI JUAREZ, BTS FAN: I suffered a lot of bullying when I was a little girl. But when I discovered them, a song about youth really spoke to me.

HUNTE: The band was treated to a rock star greeting by a crowd of about 50,000 people as they appeared on a balcony with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ahead of their concerts. It was a dream come true for so many fans.

ABIGAIL CASTRO RODRIGUEZ, BTS FAN: I've known BTS since I was 13 years old. I'm 25 now, and I'm extremely excited. I've been waiting for them for almost ten years, so I'm really, really excited.

HUNTE: But many BTS followers won't get the chance to see them. Ticketmaster Mexico says over a million people were on its site at one point trying to score tickets for the Mexico City shows, with only 150,000 seats available. But Sheinbaum invited the group to return next year, giving hope to diehard fans that they won't have to wait as long to see their favorite band again.

Ben Hunte, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. "CNN This Morning" comes up after a quick break.

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