MSC Virtuosa: Eerie footage from on board cruise shows crew searching for missing woman

Footage taken successful the dormant of nighttime shows spotlights on the borderline of the MSC Virtuosa being turned connected to airy up the oversea and assistance find the missing passenger

Chilling footage captures the infinitesimal hunt and rescue teams assemble connected an 18-deck cruise ship to look for a pistillate who went overboard - and was later tragically confirmed dead.

The French Coastguard confirmed that 1 idiosyncratic had sadly died aft falling disconnected the MSC Virtuosa bound for Southampton connected Saturday morning. Alarms were raised astatine astir 12.55am to alert passengers of the incident, with the vessel letting disconnected "loud blasts" and the skipper announcing "man overboard".

The vessel was conscionable disconnected the Channel Islands erstwhile it was forced to dilatory down arsenic crews launched a large hunt operation. Eerie footage captured successful the dormant of nighttime shows spotlights on the borderline of the vas being turned connected to assistance find the missing passenger.

Were you connected the MSC Virtuosa erstwhile the incidental took place? Contact america connected [email protected]

A flashing light, thought to beryllium a drone, was besides captured zooming supra the Virtuosa arsenic rescue teams placed ladders on the borderline of the platform arsenic they continued scouring the area.

One rider told the Mirror the spotlights were utilized to airy up the oversea astatine 2am successful a bid to find the missing idiosyncratic arsenic rescue teams covered an country northbound of Les Casquets rocks, westbound of Alderney. The traveller said: "The vessel fto disconnected large blasts, I thought the vessel was successful trouble, past the skipper announced 'man overboard, antheral overboard, larboard side' the vessel slowed down and they had spotlights into the oversea looking for him.

"They announced that they person a missing idiosyncratic and their thoughts and prayers are with the family, and that they are slowing the vessel and we volition beryllium delayed getting to Southampton."

Another rider told the Mirror astir the infinitesimal the helicopters retrieved 'something'. They said: "Between past and 3.35am the vessel crook astir and tried to search. Then tons of different boats adjacent seemed to beryllium looking arsenic abruptly we could spot much boats from the surface. And astatine astir 2.15 to 2.30 helicopters came and started looking.

"I watched the full thing, it was hard to spot successful the dark. But maine and my household saw erstwhile the chopper hovered implicit the water.

"The skipper did crook the vessel astir and lone erstwhile the chopper had retrieved "something". Did helium crook backmost astir to spell backmost connected course. The vessel truly slowed down, but of people a cruise vessel that size takes a portion to crook astir and spell back."

The French coastguard has said it received a antheral overboard distress connection soon aft midnight connected Saturday, October 12, and a French navy chopper H160 based successful Maupertus, France, was scrambled for the rescue mission. It was supported by an offshore rescue vas from Goury on with a RNLI lifeboat from Alderney and a Channel Islands Air Search plane.

A French coastguard spokesperson said: “The H160 chopper finds the idiosyncratic successful its hunt country and hoists them out. The chopper lands astatine the Tourlaville rescue centre wherever a aesculapian squad declares the death.”

In a connection a spokesperson for the cruiseline said: "A impermanent connected committee MSC Virtuosa went overboard connected 12 October, portion the vessel was sailing to Southampton. The assemblage was aboriginal recovered with the engagement of the authorities.

"We are profoundly saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with the household during this hard time. Out of respect for their privacy, we volition not beryllium providing further details."

The Maltese-flagged vessel, built successful France successful 2020, measures 332m (1,089ft) agelong and boasts 18 decks, accommodation for up to 6,334 passengers and 1,704 crew. Virtuosa was owed to get successful Southampton astatine 6:15am and depart astatine 8pm.

The vessel besides boasts a 4D cinema, bowling lanes, a casino, a crippled arcade, and a Formula 1 simulator. Passengers tin besides sojourn a theatre hosting Broadway-style productions, arsenic good arsenic a lounge featuring Carousel Productions astatine Sea shows.