Woman, 36, dies plunging off MSC Meraviglia cruise ship returning to Florida as one witness claims the victim jumped in what appeared to be suicide bid.
A woman has died after she plunged overboard on a cruise ship returning to Florida from the Bahamas on Thursday, authorities said.
The unnamed passenger, 36, went overboard on the MSC Meraviglia Thursday morning and her remains were recovered by the US Coast Guard roughly 18 miles from Port Canaveral, Florida according to a release.
The ship which is owned and operated by MSC Cruises, had been returning to Florida from Ocean Cay in The Bahamas when the woman fell overboard, WESH 2 reported.
Despite attempts to save the woman by boat and helicopter, authorities soon learned the woman had suffered fatal injuries.
‘Unfortunately, despite the rapid rescue operation, the passenger sustained fatal injuries. We are offering our full support to authorities as they investigate this matter,’ the US Coast Guard said in a statement.
#BREAKING: The Coast Guard is searching for a cruise passenger who may have gone overboard 20 miles off the coast of Port Canaveral.
A @WFTV photographers in on board the MSC Meraviglia and got this video earlier this morning. The deck has now been as this search begins. pic.twitter.com/TZljGkmDu3
— Alexa Lorenzo (@ALorenzoTV) December 15, 2022
What caused woman to jump off?
Not immediately clear is what led to the woman falling into the waters and whether it was the result of wilful wanton action on behalf of the victim.
A worker on the cruise ship allegedly told a passenger that the woman had jumped, according to TMZ, which had not verified the comment or the possible suicide.
MSC Cruises released statement Thursday offering the woman’s family condolences and explained that ship’s ‘advanced detection systems’ had alerted staff to an overboard passenger.
The female passenger’s death comes after James Michael Grimes last month fell off a Carnival Cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico and spent 20 hours treading water before he was miraculously rescued. At one point, he said he ate a stick that looked like bamboo to curb his hunger.
