Cruise ship passenger killed in Atlantic after ‘rogue wave’ hits the vessel

Cruise ship passenger killed in Atlantic after 'rogue wave' hits the ship

Image of the Viking Polaris in the shipyard in Søviknes, Norway. Credit: Twitter@VikingCruises

A female passenger was killed as the result of a ‘rogue wave’ while the Viking Polaris cruise ship was sailing in the Atlantic.

A cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic was hit by a ‘rouge wave’, resulting in the death of a female passenger. Four others were injured in the incident that occurred at around 10:40pm local time on the Viking Polaris last Wednesday, November 30.

At the time of the event, the vessel was on its Antarctic Explorer cruise and heading towards the resort town of Ushuaia in Argentina. It is located on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the southernmost tip of South America, nicknamed the ‘End of the World’.

“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident. We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies”, said a spokesperson for the travel company. They added that the ship arrived safely at its destination in Ushuaia after sustaining ‘limited damage’.

According to local Argentinian authorities, the deceased was a 62-year-old woman. The wave apparently smashed her cabin window and she was hit by fragments of broken glass, as reported by the Associated Press. Medical staff on the ship treated the four injured passengers.

An investigation has been initiated into what Viking described as a ‘rogue wave incident’. The ship’s scheduled December 5-17 Antarctic Explorer itinerary has been cancelled by Viking. Onward travel for all the affected ship’s passengers is being arranged by the company.

The Viking Polaris is a relatively new luxury cruise ship, launched in early 2022. It caters for 378 passengers with a crew of 256, as reported by Sky News.

__________________________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

Comments