What began as a two week sailing turned into a search at sea, after a cruise ship recovered five bodies in the Mediterranean.
Sapphire Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, altered its route on April 21 while sailing from Sardinia to Cartagena, Spain, after a crew member spotted an orange life jacket in the water.
The ship immediately turned around and launched a search operation, deploying a fast rescue boat to investigate. Crew members recovered five deceased individuals from the sea.
A guest onboard told Cruise Radio, “Not long after leaving Sardinia the Captain announced that he was turning the ship around as something orange was floating in the Sea, it was a deceased body in a life jacket. Not long after there was another announcement Man Overboard, we were then informed not long after another 4 deceased persons were located.”
In a statement to Cruise Radio, the company said:
“Princess Cruises confirms that on April 21, Sapphire Princess, while at sea en route to Cartagena, Spain, observed an orange inflatable lifejacket in the water. The vessel immediately altered course to investigate and, upon arrival on scene, deployed its Fast Rescue Boat.
Five deceased individuals were recovered by the Sapphire Princess crew members and coordinated efforts with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC). The individuals involved are not guests or crew of Sapphire Princess.
We extend our sincere condolences for this loss and are grateful to our crew for their swift response and efforts to render assistance.”
Recovering bodies at sea
Passengers onboard say the ship remained in the area for several hours, initially locating one body before discovering four more nearby.
Marine tracking data shows the vessel executed a full turn and spent nearly three hours conducting a search pattern before resuming its voyage.
Authorities have not released the identities of the individuals and are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. Officials have not confirmed whether the case may be linked to a migrant vessel.
After completing the search, the ship increased speed and arrived in Cartagena on schedule.
