A tragedy was confirmed on Monday aboard a Virgin Voyages cruise ship after a passenger was pronounced dead after crossing a bedroom balcony and landing on a lower deck.
The passenger was traveling on the Valiant Lady cruise ship, which had left Miami and was heading to Honduras. The incident happened around 9:35 p.m. on April 2. The boat was about 10 miles from Key Largo at the time of the incident.
“Last night, shortly after departure, there was a medical emergency involving one of our passengers,” a Virgin Voyages spokesperson said in a statement obtained by FOX Business. “This passenger passed through his balcony on a lower deck and, despite immediate medical attention, died… We are deeply saddened by this loss of life and our hearts and thoughts go out to this person’s loved ones.”
A YouTube account called “The ShipLife” recorded the announcement after the passenger fell, telling travelers the ship was returning to Miami with an estimated arrival time of 1:30 a.m.
“At the time, we didn’t know exactly what was going on, but a lot of plans were being canceled and everyone was a bit curious around this ship,” he said, noting that rumors had started to swirl. circulating on board that a passenger had died. . The news was confirmed around 3 or 4 a.m., he said.
“It’s a bit fragile,” the vlogger said of onboard morale, noting that Virgin Voyages offered all passengers 100% cruise credit for future travel after the incident. “Some passengers have disembarked because of the situation. Virgin Voyages is doing everything it can to be accommodating.”
The ship returned to Miami after the crash before sailing again, although the itinerary for the rest of the cruise was changed.
CruiseHive reported that the vessel is now en route to Cozumel, Mexico. The cruise was scheduled to stop in Rogan, Honduras and Costa Maya, Mexico as part of its itinerary, but both stops were cancelled.
THE valiant lady is a relatively new ship, which took its first sails in February last year. The Miami-based boat can accommodate up to 2,700 guests per trip.