An Antarctica-bound cruise ship leaves one person dead and four others injured after hitting a giant “rogue wave.”
On Tuesday, an unidentified woman was killed after a massive wave struck a Viking Polaris Antarctic-bound cruise ship. The ship was sailing toward the port of Ushuaia in southern Argentina. The 62-year-old woman was struck by broken glass after the wave broke the cabin’s windows.
“We wondered if we hit an iceberg,” Suzie Gooding, a passenger on the ship says. “And there are no icebergs out here, but that’s how it felt.”
Gooding added, “Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking. We didn’t know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship.”
As for as the other four passengers, they all “sub stained non-life threatening injuries” and received medical attention onboard.
“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident,” Viking Cruises said. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies. We will continue to offer our full support to the family in the hours and days ahead.”
The company continued, “We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities. Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel.”
The Viking Polaris ship was created just this year and is the latest ship to sail in the company’s fleet.
