A passenger has died on the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship which is underway from Sydney to the Bay of Islands in Northland. Photo / Michael Craig
A passenger has died on the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship which is underway from Sydney to the Bay of Islands in Northland. Photo / Michael Craig
A cruise ship involved in the White Island eruptions has been linked to another tragedy with a passenger dying onboard the New Zealand-bound vessel.
The person died yesterday as the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship sailed from Sydney towards Bay of Islands, operator Royal Caribbean has confirmed.
There hadbeen speculation on social media that the passenger had flu-like symptoms and the death could be linked to the deadly coronavirus.
But Royal Caribbean has ruled this out, saying it was from natural causes and unrelated to the global outbreak.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said the dead passenger's family had been informed and the company was providing them with assistance during this difficult time.
The operator declined to comment further out of respect for the family's privacy.
While the death was unrelated to coronavirus, Royal Caribbean said it was taking precautions to protect the health and safety of guests and crew on all its ships.
The measures included blocking any individual who had travelled from, to or through mainland China or Hong Kong in the past 15 days from boarding the ship, and screening guests who had been in contact with people who had traveled to or through mainland China or Hong Kong in the past 15 days, and all holders of China or Hong Kong passports.
