Woman dies after cruise ship overboard alert near Channel Islands

A woman has died after she went overboard from a cruise ship near the Channel Islands, say rescue services.

An alert was sent out at about 02:00 BST for a search for the woman in her 20s north of Les Casquets rocks, west of Alderney.

The French search and rescue service said the casualty from the MSC Virtuosa was winched from the sea by a helicopter crew and was later pronounced dead by doctors.

One passenger told the BBC an alarm rang three times to signal a person had gone overboard.

The passenger, who only wanted to be called Neil, said those on board were asked to pray for their fellow passenger.

“I went up along with lots of other passengers to have a look,” he said.

“About half an hour later the cruise director told us they were looking for a missing passenger so we would be delayed into 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 investigation into the death is being led by French police.

A plane from Channel Islands Air Search was sent to the scene from Guernsey, along with lifeboat crews from Alderney and France and the French helicopter crew based near Cherbourg.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said officers were assisting with inquiries.

“It has been reported that the woman went overboard the MSC Virtuosa during the early hours… and subsequently died,” the force said.

The Maltese-flagged cruise ship is 331m (1,086ft) long and 43m (141ft) wide, according to MarineTraffic, with accommodation for up to 6,334 passengers and 1,704 crew.

The vessel is 19 decks tall, according to MSC, and was built in France in 2020.

It is currently berthed at Southampton docks, having arrived at about 08:00 from Cartagena Port in Spain.