Woman in her 20s dies after falling overboard from MSC Virtuosa cruise ship off the Channel Islands

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.

Passengers, who MailOnline spoke too, described how ‘alarms sounded’ at 1am into the pitch darkness and the ‘bridge came over the intercom announcing a man overboard port side’. 

Spotlights were then used to light up the sea, as aircrafts from France and the Channel Islands attended the scene just north of Les Casquets rocks, near the Island of Alderney.

They continued that everyone onboard was ‘shocked, distressed and traumatised’ by the night, with very few people sleeping again before the vessel docked in Southampton this afternoon.

A French Navy helicopter led the search and rescue operation, and was supported by aircraft from the Channel Islands 

An distress signal was sent out at about 2am this morning after a woman in her 20s went overboard north of Les Casquets rocks, west of Alderney. Pictured: the MSC Virtuosa cruise ship 

One passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, told MailOnline: ‘The ship sounded the alarm at 12:55am and the bridge came over the intercom announcing man overboard port side.
‘The ship then shone their search lights into the water, the captain then turned the ship round 180 degrees to go back the route we had come in search for the passenger.

‘At 1:30am an announcement was made by cruise director announcing a missing passenger and that their thoughts were with the family of this passenger.

‘Helicopters and coast guards began to arrive just after 2am with the passengers body being winched into helicopter around 2:30am.’

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.

Cecilia Speck, who was on board with her partner, said: ‘I was on deck when the captain announced from the bridge that there was ‘man overboard’.

‘It was really traumatic as some people were frantically going around to check on loved ones that hadn’t yet returned to their cabins.’

The search area was north of Les Casquets rocks, near the Channel Island of Alderney, said the source

Map showing the path travelled by the cruise liner as it attempted to search for the missing woman 

The ship originally sounded a Man Overboard alert, while sounding loud blasts in the pitch darkness. Pictured: The top deck of the Virtuosa

The 45 year old said: ‘It’s unfortunate that the girl is sadly deceased but at least her body was recovered quickly so that her family can lay her to rest.

‘I need time to recover and my heart goes out to the family and all those that were affected by this.’

There was no initial information about the dead person’s identity or nationality. 

‘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 £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.

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. Pictured: The dining room on the cruise ship

Spotlights were deployed to scour the sea around 2am near the Les Casquets rocks, west of Alderney, in hopes of locating the missing individual

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.