A brawl broke out between passengers on a luxury cruise ship after a woman fell overboard and died, video shows
Florent Serfari/Reuters
- A woman fell overboard a MSC Cruises luxury ship and died early on Thursday morning.
- A fight broke out among passengers waiting to disembark the ship after the event, Daily Mail reported.
- Passengers who participated in the fight were arrested and the woman's death is under investigation.
A woman fell overboard a luxury cruise ship 18 miles off the coast of Florida and died. Shortly afterwards, passengers on the ship broke into a fight while waiting to disembark the cruise, the Daily Mail reported.
The MSC Cruises crew members had to step in to break up the fight after passengers grew frustrated onboard its Meraviglia ship sailing from the Bahamas to Florida.
The brawl erupted after the woman fell into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday morning around 5 a.m., per the report.
A search and rescue operation was carried out by the coast guard with a helicopter and 45-foot vessel, per the report. The 36-year-old woman's body was recovered around two and a half hours later.
The US Coast Guard told Daily Mail in a statement that the passenger "sustained fatal injuries" despite its rescue operation and that the Brevard County Sheriff's Office will investigate the incident.
The fight broke out when the passengers were temporarily prevented from disembarking the ship upon its arrival back at Port Canaveral in Florida, a video obtained by Daily Mail shows.
US Customs and Border Protection arrested a number of passengers who participated in the fight, according to the report.
One passenger, Marisa Aebi, told Daily Mail that the passengers were not allowed off the ship until around 12:00 p.m.
The Italian cruise line said its advanced detection systems immediately alerted them that the woman fell overboard and it then informed passengers that arrival in Florida would be delayed.
"A 36-year-old woman's body was recovered from the water approximately 18 miles offshore #PortCanaveral Thursday morning after she went overboard the cruise ship Meraviglia. The cause of the incident is under investigation," the US Coast Guard tweeted Thursday.
The US Coast Guard and MSC Cruises did not immediately respond to requests for comment made outside typical working hours.