Crew Member Falls Overboard in Terrifying Cruise Ship Incident

A crew member went overboard from the Viking Star cruise ship on Monday while it sailed from Greece to Italy, sparking a massive search at sea.

Viking Cruises confirmed the incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on October 27. “The ship’s emergency response was immediately activated and an extensive search operation was launched, in coordination with the Italian Coast Guard,” the company said in a statement to USA Today.

The Italian Coast Guard reported that the crew member fell overboard roughly 100 nautical miles southeast of Calabria in Southern Italy. Passengers took to social media to share updates, with one noting the ship “stopped for over four hours,” while another shared aerial footage of the search.

The Viking Star is on a seven-day Mediterranean voyage, departing Athens on October 23 and scheduled to arrive in Rome on October 30. Viking confirmed the ship resumed its journey Monday evening, saying, “We are deeply saddened by what has occurred. Our thoughts are with the family of our crew member, and we will continue to support them during this difficult time.”

Man overboard incidents on cruise ships are not unheard of. Between 2009 and 2019, Cruise Line International Association data shows 212 such incidents on member lines, with only 48 resulting in successful rescues.

This comes just a week after a passenger went overboard from the Norwegian Jewel while sailing from Ponta Delgada, Portugal, to Miami on October 20. Despite extensive search efforts, the passenger was not found, and the cruise continued its voyage.

Passengers on TikTok and Reddit described tense hours on board as the Viking Star retraced its route to search for the missing crew member. According to posts, areas of the ship were sealed off to prevent passengers from interfering with the search.

The investigation and search continue as authorities work to locate the missing crew member.