One person is dead and four others are injured after a giant “rogue wave” hit an Antarctica-bound cruise ship.
ABC News reports a U.S woman, who has yet to be identified, was killed Tuesday after a massive wave struck a Viking Polaris Antarctic-bound cruise ship while it was sailing toward the port of Ushuaia in southern Argentina. The 62-year-old was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows.
“We wondered if we hit an iceberg,” Suzie Gooding, a passenger from North Carolina, told WRAL-TV. “And there are no icebergs out here, but that’s how it felt.”
“Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking,” Gooding added. “We didn’t know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship.”
Four other tourists “sustained non-life-threatening injuries” and were treated onboard.
The Viking is the newest ship in the company’s fleet, as it was just launched in 2022.
“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident,” Viking said in a statement Thursday. “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.”
The company continued, “We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities. Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel.”
