Royal Caribbean has released a statement and confirmed that a crew member has died after falling overboard on one of its cruise ships. It’s since been reported the man who passed away had just stabbed another member of staff. She is said to be in a stable condition.
A number of videos have circulated on TikTok, claiming to show a man overboard on Icon of the Seas. The cruise operator has since confirmed one person has died, and they were a member of staff on the cruise liner. Passengers said an alarm was sounded at around 7pm on Thursday to alerts of man overboard.
A spokesperson told The Sun: “Our crew immediately initiated a search and rescue operation, but unfortunately the crew member passed away. We extend our condolences to the crew member’s family and loved ones. To respect their privacy, we have no additional details to share.”
@juanhinojosajr Person Overboard. UPDATE: The rescue team found him. I won’t post the video until we know if hes ok. Rescue team takes off to find a person who just went overboard on Icon of the Seas. Praying they find them.
It’s been reported a huge search and rescue operation in the water lasted around 30 minutes. Videos appear to show someone being pulled onto a rescue boat, but it’s been confirmed they passed away. Clips being shared on social media also show passengers desperately throwing life rings into the water. But the passengers were reportedly unaware of the events that happened before this incident.
Police have said prior to jumping overboard, the man allegedly stabbed a female fellow member of staff. In a statement provided to NBC, police said the woman was “stabbed multiple times aboard the Icon of the Seas cruise ship”. The man then fled the scene, and jumped overboard.
The woman has stab wounds to her upper body, and is in stable condition. Royal Caribbean said the incident was a “personal dispute”.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said: “One of the crew members was injured, was attended to by the onboard medical team, and she is now in stable condition. Unfortunately, the other crew member is deceased after he went overboard and was recovered in a search and rescue operation.”
Neither of the crew members have been identified.
Featured image via Michele Eve Sandberg/Shutterstock and TikTok @jmcedge.
