UK police have opened a homicide investigation following the death of a 60-year-old man on a cruise ship.
An altercation took place aboard the MSC Virtuosa cruise ship only about two hours after it departed Southampton at the weekend, and while it was still in British waters.
MSC Virtuosa was on a short two-night weekend cruise to Bruges, Belgium. A 57-year-old man from Exeter, Devon was arrested and remains in custody.
“We want to reassure you that this appears to be an isolated incident on board, and we want to thank the crew for their cooperation and assistance with our inquiries,” said Detective Chief Inspector Matt Gillooly, of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.
Police have appealed for further information regarding the incident.
Victim and Suspect Part of Same Group of Guests
Few details have been disclosed about the incident, however, UK media reports the suspect and victim were known to each other and were part of the same group of about 20 guests.
The victim was pronounced dead a short time after the altercation.
According to another ship guest, he was initially helped by another passenger who was an army medic but could not be saved.
“Following an incident on board our ship, the relevant authorities were contacted and we are cooperating fully with their investigations. We are providing full support to those impacted,” MSC Cruises said in a statement.
The suspect was arrested when the ship returned to Southampton. “As part of our inquiries, a 57-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in custody at this time,” police said.
The 18-deck MSC Virtuosa homeports in Southampton and can accommodate more than 6,000 guests.
The ship sails a range of short to week-long Northern Europe cruise itineraries.
