Authorities have confirmed that a young woman tragically fell from a cruise ship in the vicinity of the Channel Islands in the early hours of Saturday, October 12, 2024.

The incident took place on the MSC Virtuosa, a colossal ship ferrying over 6,000 passengers from Portugal to England. The French Coast Guard has reported that the woman, in her 20s, tumbled overboard shortly after midnight.

Upon realizing the woman’s disappearance, the MSC Virtuosa issued a distress call near Les Casquets rocks, located west of Alderney. French rescue services swiftly responded, deploying a French Navy H160 helicopter from Maupertus-sur-Mer to aid in the search and rescue operation.

The Channel Islands Air Search, a volunteer group, was also activated for assistance. In a Facebook post, they detailed their part in the operation. Their search aircraft, Lions’ Pride, left Guernsey near 2 a.m. to participate in the search.

The woman was finally discovered and pulled from the water around 3 a.m. She was then transported to a rescue center in Tourlaville, France. Unfortunately, she was declared dead upon arrival. The woman’s identity remains undisclosed.

A passenger, who chose to be identified solely as Neil, shared his experience of the distressing event. He described alarms ringing through the ship, indicating an overboard incident. Neil recounted, “I went up along with lots of other passengers to have a look. About half an hour later the cruise director told us they were looking for a missing passenger, so we would be delayed into Southampton.”

MSC Cruises, the company that owns the Virtuosa, released a statement expressing their condolences: “This tragic event deeply saddens us, 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 incident is currently being investigated by French and British authorities. The MSC Virtuosa, registered in Malta, is one of the world’s largest cruise ships, measuring over 1,000 feet in length and accommodating more than 6,300 passengers along with 1,700 crew members. The ship docked in Southampton on Saturday morning, where the investigation into the woman’s death continued.

Witnesses of the incident were left unsettled by the tragedy. Passengers were requested to remember the young woman in their thoughts as a normal night at sea took a fatal turn.