Authorities have reported the tragic death of a 36-year-old woman who fell overboard from a cruise ship on her way back to Florida from the Bahamas on Thursday, Dec. 15.
The woman went overboard on the MSC Meraviglia Thursday morning, and her remains were found by the US Coast Guard approximately 18 miles from Port Canaveral, Florida, as per NBC’s WESH 2.
The ship was returning to Florida from Ocean Cay in the Bahamas at the time of the incident.
After the incident, the Coast Guard swiftly initiated a search operation by both boat and helicopter, but unfortunately, it was too late.
“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 agency said in a statement.
According to TMZ, a worker on the cruise ship allegedly informed a passenger that the woman had jumped.
Passengers were abruptly awakened early in the morning by an announcement alerting all passengers that someone had gone overboard.
Witnesses who were aboard the cruise described how, amidst the chaos, the woman’s recovered body was left uncovered next to the ship in the back of a pickup truck.
The MSC Meraviglia, which has the capacity to carry more than 4,500 passengers and 1,600 crew members, is operated by the Italian cruise line MSC Cruises.
