A tragic incident occurred on the MSC Virtuosa cruise ship as a woman in her 20s fell overboard into the English Channel. The distress signal was raised by the ship after the incident near Les Casquets rocks, west of Alderney, late Saturday night, as reported by BBC. Passengers onboard recounted an alarm sounding three times to alert of the person overboard.
Search and rescue efforts were immediately launched, with a Channel Islands Air Search plane, lifeboat crews from Alderney and France, and a French helicopter team all working together to locate and retrieve the woman from the water. Despite medical intervention, she was unfortunately pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Authorities have not disclosed the woman’s identity or nationality, but investigations by British and French police are now underway to determine the circumstances surrounding her tragic death.
The owner of the MSC Virtuosa, MSC Cruises, expressed deep sadness over the incident and extended condolences to the family of the deceased. The cruise ship, which can host thousands of passengers and crew members, is currently docked at Southampton.
