A woman has died after falling overboard from an 18-deck cruise ship, say rescue services. At 2am on Saturday, October 12, passengers on the MSC Virtuosa were alerted to the emergency, with the ship sounding “loud blasts” and the captain announcing a “man overboard” situation, causing the vessel to slow down and launch a major search effort.
A passenger reported that spotlights were used to illuminate the sea at 2am in an attempt to locate the missing individual. The search area covered the region north of Les Casquets rocks, west of Alderney, reports the Mirror.
The French search and rescue service said the casualty from the MSC Virtuosa was winched from the sea by a helicopter crew and was later pronounced dead by doctors. An investigation is under way into the death by UK and French police, the service said.
According to a passenger onboard, the ship’s loud blasts were heard at 2am, followed by the captain’s announcement, and the ship’s subsequent delay in arriving at Southampton. The passenger recounted: “At about 2am the ship let off loud blasts, I thought the ship was in trouble, then the captain announced ‘man overboard, man overboard, port side’ the ship slowed down and they had spotlights into the sea looking for him.
“At 2:30 they announced that they have a missing person and their thoughts and prayers are with the family, and that they are slowing the ship and we will be delayed getting to Southampton.”
The ship, which flies under the Maltese flag and was built in France in 2020, measures 332m (1,089ft) in length and has 18 decks. It can accommodate up to 6,334 passengers and 1,704 crew members. The Virtuosa was scheduled to arrive in Southampton at 6:15am and depart at 8pm.
The vessel made a brief stop in Cornwall earlier this year, before quickly making a u-turn and leaving Falmouth as swiftly as it arrived. It was thought at the time that the north-westerly wind was too strong to ferry its 5,000 passengers to Falmouth harbour.
On board, passengers can enjoy a range of entertainment options including a 4D cinema, bowling lanes, a casino, a game arcade, and a Formula 1 simulator. There’s also a theatre hosting Broadway-style productions and a lounge featuring Carousel Productions at Sea shows.