Passenger Killed After Rogue Wave Strikes Cruise Ship

Passenger Killed After Rogue Wave Strikes Cruise Ship: Four other passengers were hurt after their Viking ship was hit by a “rogue wave,” according to officials, while one American passenger on an Antarctic vacation perished. According to Viking, the incident occurred on Tuesday at approximately 10:40 p.m. local time while the Viking Polaris ship was making its way toward Ushuaia, Argentina.

Following the incident, a guest passed away, according to Viking, who did not provide any other information on the cause of death. The company claimed that the victim’s family had been informed. A State Department spokeswoman on Friday confirmed to ABC News that the deceased passenger was a citizen of the United States.

“We are providing all necessary consular support. We have no more comment out of respect for the family during this trying time “added the spokeswoman. Four additional guests experienced non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the incident and received medical attention from the ship’s doctor and staff, according to Viking.

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Viking stated on Thursday that it was looking into the incident’s facts and will support the appropriate authorities. “Our priority continues to be the safety and wellness of our guests and personnel, and we are coordinating direct return flights with them.” The ship’s damage from the rogue wave was “minimal,” according to Viking, and it arrived at Ushuaia on Wednesday “without an additional problem.” Pictures of the parked ship revealed a number of broken windows.

Onboard passengers aboard the ship spoke of rough seas before the tragedy. Beverly Spiker, a Californian, told ABC News that her window frame broke due to a “big smash” against the window of her and her husband’s cabin. Clearly, a significant event had occurred, she observed. “A great deal of water shot in.” She continued, “Fortunately, our windows did hold, although other rooms on our side of the ship were “washed out.”

According to Spiker’s cousin Suzie Gooding of North Carolina, the ship was traveling through the Drake Passage at the time, which is “well-known for having stormy waves.” Even while the weather outside appeared “awful,” according to Gooding, the interior was “like a typical cruise ship” before to the incident. She claimed to experience a “sudden shiver” that opened cabinets. She remarked, “It was just incredible.” “We personally questioned whether an iceberg had struck us at the moment even though we were certain that we weren’t near any icebergs. It was simply so abrupt.”

After that, according to Spiker and other passengers, everyone was “shaken up.” It was apparent that something horrible had happened throughout the entire ship, she continued, regardless of whose side of the boat you were on. So everyone was somewhat shaken up. According to Gooding, the ship is docked while passengers wait for Viking to announce their next course of action. Gooding reportedly claimed that two other ships in the same bay in Ushuaia were also damaged, presumably by rogue waves.

The cruise operator announced that the next voyage of the Viking Polaris ship to the Antarctic, scheduled for Dec. 5, has been postponed “after careful consideration.” The National Ocean Service states that rogue, or extreme storm, waves are “extremely unpredictable” and “more than twice the magnitude of surrounding waves.” Cruises to Antarctica frequently depart from Ushuaia, which is located at the southernmost point of South America.