A woman has died after she went overboard while on a cruise ship near the Channel Islands, rescue services have said.
Disaster struck the 18-deck MSC Virtuosa at around 2am on Saturday, while she was sailing from Lisbon to Southampton.
‘Police investigations have begun following the incident in the early hours of Saturday,’ said a French coastguards source.
‘An emergency alert was received at around 3am (French time, 2am in Britain), saying that a person was missing.
‘A rescue helicopter was scambled, but the person was declared dead soon after being winched on to the helicopter.’
The ship originally sounded a Man Overboard alert, while sounding loud blasts in the pitch darkness.
Spotlights were then used to light up the sea, as aircraft from France and the Channel Islands attended the scene.
The search area was north of Les Casquets rocks, near the Channel Island of Alderney, said the source.
A French Navy helicopter led the search and rescue operation, and was supported by aircraft from the Channel Islands.
‘Infra-red cameras were used to locate the person, who would have struggled to survive in the cold water,’ said another French emergency services source.
Tannoy announcements on board the ship described a ‘search for a missing person’ and asked for ‘thoughts and prayers’ for her family and friends.
There was no initial information about the dead person’s identity or nationality.
The £650m Virtuosa, which has a crew of more than 1500 and which can carry up to 6300 passengers, remained in the area, before making her way to Southampton.
By Saturday afternoon, the Viruousa was in Southampton, where crew and passengers were interviewed by detectives.
One person on board told the Mirror about the the startling moment when the blasts were heard and the ship’s journey to Southampton was subsequently delayed.
They said: ‘At about 2am the ship let off loud blasts, I thought the ship was in trouble, then the captain announced ‘man overboard, man overboard, port side’ the ship slowed down and they had spotlights into the sea looking for him.
‘At 2:30 they announced that they have a missing person and their thoughts and prayers are with the family, and that they are slowing the ship and we will be delayed getting to Southampton.’
The ship’s owner MSC Cruises said in a statement: ‘A guest on board MSC Virtuosa went overboard on 12 October, while the ship was sailing to Southampton.
‘The body was later recovered with the involvement of the authorities.
‘We are deeply saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time.
‘Out of respect for their privacy, we will not be providing further details.’
The Virtuosa, built in France in 2020, was scheduled to dock in Southampton at 6:15am and set sail again at 8pm.
On board the massive 18-deck vessel passengers can enjoy a range of entertainment options including a 4D cinema, bowling lanes, a casino, a game arcade, and a Formula 1 simulator.
There’s also a theatre hosting Broadway-style productions and a lounge featuring Carousel Productions at Sea shows.
has contacted MSC Cruises for comment.