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A cruise employee died following a unknown onboard accident, forcing the ship to make an unscheduled stop in Spain two days into its two-week transatlantic voyage between England and the Caribbean.
The unidentified male worker died on October 26 aboard P&O Cruises’ MS Arvia, according to reports.
The crew member was pronounced dead “following an accident on board Arvia yesterday,” the cruise line told People.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends both on board and at home and we are providing every possible support to them,” the statement added.
The ship made an unscheduled stop at the Port of A Coruña in the Northwest part of Spain on Sunday.
“Yesterday the Arvia made a stop in A Coruña following a workplace accident involving a deceased crew member. It remained docked from 3 p.m. until night, when it set sail for Tenerife,” Port of A Coruña officials wrote on X.
Officials did not provide more information regarding the incident.
A cause of death was not revealed.
The Post has reached out to the cruise line for further comment.
P&O Cruises, owned by Carnival UK, announced it would be providing “every possible support” for the crew member’s family and friends on and off the cruise ship.
The United Kingdom’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch will board the ship at its next stop “to start a preliminary assessment of the accident, and to determine the next steps,” according to the BBC.
The Bermuda-flagged ship had departed from Southampton, England, on Oct. 24, heading south towards Santa Cruz de Tenerife on Spain’s Canary Islands off the western coast of Africa.
The MS Arvia will then traverse the Atlantic to the Caribbean, island-hopping around several countries before arriving at Bridgetown, Barbados, on Nov. 7.
The Excellence-class cruise ship holds 5,200 guests and 1,800 crew members, according to P&O Cruises.
Nicknamed “The Sunshine Ship,” it is the newest ship in the cruise line’s fleet, making its maiden voyage on Dec. 23, 2022.
The crew member’s death occurred hours before a Viking Cruise employee went overboard the Viking Star in the Mediterranean Sea, Monday morning.
An emergency response and search went into place for the unidentified crew members.
The ship was in the middle of an eight-day, seven-night between Athens, Greece, heading to Turkey and the Greek island of Crete.
English (US)