Ruhi Çenet found himself hit with a huge backlash from the public after photos of him attending the wedding which took place on May 3 began to circulate online, reports Türkiye Today. This is the the very same day that the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that it was investigating an outbreak on the ship. 

Addressing the situation in an Instagram post on Friday, Çenet explained: “On the date I attended the wedding, the Hantavirus epidemic was not announced by the World Health Organization,” 

He has since been quarantined ‘just in case’ as a precautionary measure, but has not shown any symptoms of the disease. Cenet, 35, boarded the cruise on April 1 in Ushuaia, Argentina. Hantavirus has been confirmed as the cause of death for three passengers Initially things got off to a good start, until the Captain of the ship announced the death of a 70 year old Dutch passenger on April 11 that was attributed to ‘natural causes.’ 

According to Çenet the Captain then went on to make an announcement the following day, which he claims stated: “Whatever health issues he was struggling with, I'm told by the doctor, were not infectious, so the ship is safe when it comes to that.” 

In a video clip, supplied to NBC News, the message continued: "The ship is safe. This gentleman, unfortunately, succumbed to natural causes. And like I say, we do what we can in order to continue in a safe and dignified way.” As a result, the cruise passengers were ‘not well informed,’ Çenet told the outlet, adding, "It's very scary because it was nothing that we were ready for.” The influencer was on board the Cruise ship MV Hondius when the first person died. (AFP via Getty Images) For the remaining days on board the cruise, Çenet self-isolated alongside his cameraman, but revealed that the ship operated normally for a full 12 days, allowing passengers to mix onboard the ship for meals and without any need for masking or distancing. 

The deceased passenger was removed from the ship on April 24, the same day that Çenet left the ship at St.Helena. "I wish we did not land there after the first casualty, because along with us, there were a hundred more passengers, and they were interacting with the islanders," Çenet told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"This is one of my regrets, because the island is the most remote one, and they don't have enough medical centres, enough doctors.” Just two days later, the deceased passenger’s wife, a 69 year old Dutch woman boarded a flight to South Africa, but sadly also succumbed to the illness and died on April 26. Çenet was also on board this flight. 

As of Friday, May 8, there are currently eight suspected cases, including three deaths. Six of these cases have been’"laboratory-confirmed as hantavirus infections, with all identified as Andes virus (ANDV),’ according to WHO.