Cruise Ship Horror: Passenger Falls from Balcony, Hits Another Person on Deck Below and Dies

People spend thousands of dollars to cruise on some of the largest and most extravagant cruise ships. After the pandemic halted cruising entirely, many people thought vacations at sea would be an afterthought. However, cruising has returned in full effect, with many cruise lines experiencing record years. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises experienced their single largest booking day in history on Black Friday, while Holland America Line and Carnival also reported higher volumes of booking than pre-pandemic. However, a dream vacation quickly turned into a nightmare for some cruisers over the weekend after the shocking death of a passenger. 

A Passenger Fell to Their Death

Over the weekend, a passenger on a Virgin Voyages cruise ship fell to her death off one of the ship's balconies. The death is currently being investigated.

According to a statement released by Virgin, shortly after the ship set sail last Sunday and was heading on its way to Roatan, Honduras, the boat was forced to turn around: There was a "medical emergency" involving a female passenger.

Woman Fell Onto Another Passenger

"This passenger went over their balcony onto a lower deck, and despite receiving immediate medical attention, has passed away. We are deeply saddened by this loss of life and our hearts and thoughts are with this person's loved ones," a statement from Virgin Voyages reads.

According to reports, the woman fell and struck a passenger on a lower deck. However, that individual was not seriously injured, the spokesperson says. 

The cruise was redirected back to Miami for a brief period. It then departed again with a few changes to the itinerary. 

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The Homicide Bureau of Miami-Dade Police Department Is "Conducting a Death Investigation"

The Miami-Dade Police Department told Insider that its homicide bureau "is conducting a death investigation from an incident that occurred on a Virgin Cruise Line ship." They said that Sunday, "at approximately 9:35 p.m., an adult female fell from her balcony to one of the decks below and was determined deceased."