The woman’s body was recovered after a French Navy helicopter and Royal National Lifeboat Institution rescue mission.
A woman has died after going overboard from a cruise ship off the Channel Islands, triggering a massive search in the middle of the night.
The French coast guard received a “man overboard” distress signal from MSC Virtuosa, an 18-deck ship, during the early hours of Saturday morning. A French Navy H160 helicopter based in Maupertus, Normandy, was scrambled for the rescue mission.
It was supported by an offshore rescue vessel from nearby Goury along with a lifeboat from Alderney and a Channel Islands Air Search plane.
A French coast guard spokesman said a helicopter crew spotted the woman and hoisted her out of the sea. It then landed in Tourlaville rescue centre in Normandy, where a medical team declared her dead. Her nationality is not known.
The woman who fell overboard from the MSC Virtuosa was located by a French Navy helicopter crew. Photo / Channel Islands Air Search
A French emergency services source said: “Infra-red cameras were used to locate the person, who would have struggled to survive in the cold water”.
It is understood passengers on board MSC Virtuosa heard a series of loud blasts as the captain announced “man overboard”. Spotlights were used to scour the seas to try to find the missing person.
Cecilia Speck, who was on board with her partner, said: “I was on deck when the captain announced from the bridge that there was ‘man overboard’.
“It was really traumatic as some people were frantically going around to check on loved ones who hadn’t yet returned to their cabins.
“The staff onboard were so good in keeping people as calm as they could.”
The 45-year-old said: “It’s unfortunate that the girl is sadly deceased but at least her body was recovered quickly so that her family can lay her to rest.
“I need time to recover and my heart goes out to the family and all those that were affected by this.”
A spokeswoman for the Channel Islands Air Search said the woman went overboard north of Les Casquets, a group of rocks 12km north-west of Alderney.
The search plane Lions’ Pride, fitted with infrared cameras, departed from Guernsey at 2am to join the navy rescue helicopter. At 2.30am, the Jobourg search and rescue team reported that the woman had been located and was being winched into the helicopter.
MSC Virtuosa, a Maltese-flagged vessel which features 10 dining rooms, 21 bars, and five swimming pools and is capable of carrying more than 6000 passengers and 1700 crew, continued its journey to Southampton where it berthed.
A spokesman for MSC Cruises, the Swiss-Italian firm based in Geneva, said: “A guest on board MSC Virtuosa went overboard on October 12, 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.”
A Hampshire and Isle of Wight police spokeswoman said its officers had “been deployed to assist with inquiries”, but that the investigation was not being managed by the United Kingdom authorities.
