One woman was killed and four others were injured after a “rogue wave” hit a cruise ship this week near South America.
The trip was an Antarctic cruise and the incident was confirmed by the company Viking Polaris in a statement this week.
The company revealed:
There was a rogue wave incident involving the Viking Polaris on November 29 at 22:40 local time, while the ship was sailing towards Ushuaia, Argentina. The ship sustained limited damage during the incident and arrived in port in Ushuaia without further incident the afternoon of November 30.
It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident. 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.
Four other injuries among the crew were not life-threatening, according to the statement. Viking Polaris said they are investigating the incident.
Fox News aired footage of the damage to massive cruise ship, showing broken windows. The unidentified woman who passed away died from falling broken glass.
One passenger told North Carolina’s WRAL-TV it felt like the ship hit an iceberg and she thought it may be time to prepare to abandon the ship.
“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,” she said.
In another recent cruise ship incident that gained the national spotlight, a man fell from a cruise ship only to be rescued 20 hours later in the Gulf of Mexico.
Another trip planned for this month was canceled by the cruise in light of the death. Viking confirmed the ship itself only sustained limited damage from the impact.
Rogue waves can grow to be twice the size of surrounding waves and can be unpredictable, moving in a different direction than other waves, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Watch above via Fox News
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