A passenger aboard an MSC Cruises ship died on Thursday after they went overboard while the vessel was passing over the deepest fjord in Norway, according to the New York Post. This is the second time in under three months that someone has gone overboard on the same ship.
The passenger, who was described as a man in “his late 50s,” plunged into the water from the MSC Euribia around 2:00 a.m. At the time, the ship was making its way through the Sognefjord, which is known as the King of the Fjords.
A rescue helicopter was dispatched to retrieve the man from the 4,300-foot-deep waters. After about an hour, the man was found and flown to a local hospital. He was later pronounced dead.
It is unclear what the circumstances are surrounding the man’s death. The authorities have said that the passenger’s death is being investigated as a “suspicious” event.
“We have several hypotheses. It could be an accident, a criminal act, or an intentional act,” one police officer said.
Unilad reported that the authorities intend to interview the crew and obtain video from the cruise ship, which might provide a clearer picture as to what happened before the man jumped from the ship.
Cruise ship tracking data revealed that the vessel has 19 levels and turned around in the channel shortly after the tragic incident.
The man was reportedly traveling with his wife, per reports.
Reports also stated that the ship intends to finish its seven-day journey despite the incident. It will return to Kiel as originally planned on Saturday.
Earlier this month, a male passenger jumped off the largest cruise ship and plunged to his death after free-falling 90 feet and hitting the water. The cruise ship’s staff said they knew what happened before the man hit the water.
The passenger jumped from the fifth level of Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas on the first day of a seven-day journey. Each deck of the ship was estimated to be around 20 feet, which means the man fell approximately 90 feet before hitting the water.
After the man jumped, it set off the overboard detection system. The onboard staff immediately took action.
“We knew what had happened literally seconds after he hit the water,” one source said. “The protocol is that we’re supposed to immediately make visual contact to see if we can spot him.”
“It’s the captain’s call whether to stop and turn around, and he did,” he added.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!