This is the shocking moment a mass brawl broke out on a cruise ship after the US Coast Guard found the body of a woman who had fallen overboard.
Video obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com shows passengers struggling when they are unable to disembark as they return to the port.
The 36-year-old woman fell into the water from the port side of the MSC Meraviglia, 18 miles off the Florida coast, around 5 a.m. Thursday.
The ship was scheduled to arrive in Port Canaveral, Florida after returning from Ocean Cay, Bahamas.
The Coast Guard launched a search and rescue operation using a 45-foot boat and helicopter. A pilot boat located the woman’s body around 7:30 a.m. and notified Coast Guard members, they confirmed.
How the woman went overboard is unclear, authorities said.
A man was arrested when the vessel arrived in port hours after the body of the 36-year-old woman was found
Crew members of the MSC Meraviglia had to stop fighting
Witnesses on the cruise recalled how the woman’s body was left exposed in the middle of the chaos in the back of a van next to the ship.
Several passengers were arrested by US Customs and Border Protection for their involvement in the fight. Crew members were forced to cease the fighting.
MSC Meraviglia, which can carry more than 4,500 passengers and 1,600 crew members, is operated by the Italian cruise line MSC Cruises.
Passengers were awakened early in the morning by the sound of a message warning all passengers that someone had fallen overboard.
Marisa Aebi told DailyMail.com: “The first report was a female voice” “Attention! Man overboard to port”.
And it was about 5:00 a.m. I think she repeated it twice? A few minutes later the emergency horn sounded – the three notes.
“I had a balcony so I walked out and of course it was super dark, they had already turned off the headlights and turned the ship very quickly.
“The coast guard and another ship came to help. We were all told to go to our rooms and stay there because they were counting.
She was found about 2 hours later. Several fights broke out during boarding over how long it took to depart. They didn’t let us out until around 12-12:30.
“Yeah, it was crazy, definitely not something I thought for sure I was going to experience. People were arrested when they came out for the fight.”
A mass brawl broke out on board the ship when passengers said they could not get off
A woman was found dead by the US Coast Guard after falling overboard from the MSC Meraviglia (pictured in Portugal in 2018) about 18 miles off the Florida coast.
Another man who was on the cruise was arrested when the boat arrived in Port Canaveral
“The crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation, with the US Coast Guard assisting the search effort with boats and a helicopter,” the statement said.
“Unfortunately, despite the quick rescue operation, the passenger sustained fatal injuries. We offer our full support to the authorities investigating this matter.”
They said the woman’s identity will not be released until her next of kin have been notified.
The US Coast Guard transported the body back to port and met with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, which will handle the investigation.
The ship was scheduled to arrive in Port Canaveral, Florida after returning from Ocean Cay, Bahamas
One of the bedrooms on the ship had the door draped with red and white tape
The US Coast Guard Circuit 7 confirmed the body of the 36-year-old woman was recovered
In a tweet, the Coast Guard confirmed that they had recovered the woman’s body:
The body of a 36-year-old woman was recovered Thursday morning about 18 miles off the coast of #PortCanaveral after she fell overboard from the Meraviglia cruise ship. The cause of the incident is being investigated.’
The cruise ship warned passengers about the accident and soon announced that arrivals in Florida would be delayed.
The operator said the woman’s fall from the ship was detected by “sophisticated tracking systems”.
“We are deeply saddened by this incident and offer our deepest condolences to the family and those affected,” it said.
MSC Meraviglia docks in Port Canaveral on October 13
MSC Meraviglia, which can carry more than 4,500 passengers and 1,600 crew members, is managed by Italian cruise line MSC Cruises
Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, which is handling the investigation
The woman’s death came after a 28-year-old man spent 20 hours treading water after falling from a ship in the Gulf of Mexico last month.
James Michael Grimes was on the first day of a five-day Thanksgiving cruise when he disappeared from the boat’s bar.
Grimes said during his 20-hour ordeal in the shark-infested waters, he must have eaten floating bamboo and had contact with a “sea creature”.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
