A Caribbean cruise plunged into chaos on Sunday after a female passenger fell to her death from her balcony and landed on another person below.
The unnamed woman, who some on board say fell at least 10 stories, went over the barrier shortly after the Virgin Voyages ship, Valiant Lady, left Miami at 6 p.m. Sunday night.
The passenger she landed on was not seriously injured.
“Last night shortly after departure there was a medical emergency involving one of our passengers,” a Virgin spokesperson said.
“This passenger went over their balcony to a lower deck and, despite immediate medical attention, died. “We are deeply saddened by this loss of life and our hearts and thoughts are with this person’s loved ones.”
Launched in November, the Valiant Lady departed Miami for the Honduran island of Roatan on Sunday
The ship was sailing to Roatan, an island in Honduras, and was due to arrive on Tuesday.
Instead, the ship returned to Miami, docking again around 2 a.m. Monday.
The woman’s body was taken away by an ambulance and the ship sails on again.
“Just started my FIRST Virgin Voyages cruise… and someone fell off their balcony and died,” Mel Murray tweeted.
“On the first day, brother, the people saw that happen. That’s *terrifying*!!’
Another passenger, Wilson, tweeted at 1:50am Sunday morning, “@VirginVoyages, how’s our Valiant Lady journey going?
“No word or update from crew on our itinerary or reason for returning to Miami.”
Passengers were then told by the captain what had happened and that they would not be returning to Roatan.
A second planned stop – scheduled for Wednesday, to the Costa Maya in Mexico – was also canceled due to challenging weather conditions.
The Valiant Lady is currently en route to the Mexican port of Cozumel, where they will dock before sailing back via the island of Bimini in the Bahamas.
The ship will return to Miami on Saturday morning on schedule.
Valiant Lady is seen across Europe. She is currently being used in the Caribbean
Passengers will be offered credit for a future cruise, one passenger said they were told.
Valiant Lady launched in November and their six-night cruises start at $1,700 per person.
The sister ship, Scarlet Lady – the first launched by Virgin Voyages – will depart in 2021.
Jennifer Lopez will spend a day aboard Scarlet Lady later this month on a special edition “Limitless Voyage” around the Caribbean, April 14-April 19.
The five-night sail, which will be curated by Lopez and her organization, Limitless Labs, will include J.Lo-inspired experiences and panel sessions with female entrepreneurs.
Deaths on cruise ships are not uncommon.
On April 1 last year, a British man jumped to his death from Valiant Lady while she was sailing around the Mediterranean.
The cruise was heading back to Portsmouth when the man jumped overboard into the Bay of Biscay, with French and Spanish ships called in to assist in the search.
That cruise featured 1980s pop icons Tony Hadley, of Spandau Ballet, and T’Pau
In May 2020, a 32-year-old Filipino man who worked on Scarlet Lady committed suicide.
According to Cruise Lines International Association, between 2009 and 2019, there were 292 serious injuries to passengers or crew members on cruise ships and 126 minor injuries.
In February, the FBI launched an investigation into what it called a “suspicious death” of a female passenger aboard a Carnival Sunshine cruise ship — though the company said the death appears to be a natural cause.
The woman was found unconscious during the ship’s Feb. 27 voyage to Nassau, Bahamas, the FBI field office in Columbia, South Carolina, said.
They have declined to give details of their investigation.
In November, a 28-year-old man from Alabama survived 20 hours after falling off the Carnival Valor on his way to Cozumel.
James Grimes told ABC News he had no recollection of falling off the ship on Nov. 23, only getting into the water “with no boat in sight” after apologizing to the bathroom after a few drinks.
“The Lord was with me when I was out there,” he said.
“Because something was holding me back all the time when I passed out.”
Finally, Grimes spotted a tanker and swam over to the ship, which asked the US Coast Guard for help.
He said his ordeal in the Gulf of Mexico gave his life meaning.
“I’ve always thought my life had a greater purpose,” he said.
“Now I’m sure I’m meant to do something on this earth.”