USA passenger killed as enormous ‘rogue wave’ hits Antarctic cruise ship
As a “rogue wave” struck a cruise ship that headed for Antarctica, one passenger was killed and four other people got injured in the incident
As a “rogue wave” struck a cruise ship that headed for Antarctica, one passenger was killed and four other people got injured in the incident, travel company Vikings reported. According to an Associated Press report, a US woman lost her life when a huge wave smashed the Viking Polaris cruise liner as it was cruising into the city of Ushuaia in southern Argentina on an Antarctic voyage. Further, on Tuesday, the Norwegian-flagged Viking Polaris encountered a storm as it approached Ushuaia, Argentina.
According to Argentine officials, the 62-year-old woman died when she was hit by shattered glass. Notably, the enormous wave had broken the cabin windows late on Tuesday during a storm. Furthermore, the ship sustained very minor damage and made it the next day to Ushuaia, which is located 1,926 miles south of Buenos Aires, Associated Press reported.
Antarctic cruise ship expressed ‘deepest sympathies’ to passengers’ family
The incident has been under investigation, according to Viking, which also expressed its “deepest sympathies” to the passenger’s family members. In a statement, Viking added, “It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident.” It added, “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies.”
Besides this, the travel company highlighted, “Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel”, citing the statement BBC reported. However, the woman’s name and place of birth were not included in the announcement or by the Argentine Naval Prefecture.
According to Viking, the injuries of the four other passengers were not life-threatening and referred to the event as a “rogue wave incident.” The company withheld the passenger’s identity and country of origin. Additionally, Argentine news agency Telam reported that the passenger died as she “received blows from a glass surface that collapsed in the middle of the storm”.
The 202m cruise ship, which was finished this year, docked in Argentina on Wednesday and Viking claimed it had suffered “limited damage” from the wave’s impact. The 2022-built Viking Polaris, which offers luxurious amenities, can accommodate 378 guests and 256 crew members, Associated Press reported.
Rogue waves have the potential to be twice as large as nearby waves, as per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They frequently appear out of the blue from directions different than the one of the winds. Rogue waves are less frequent but are getting more intense, increasing the risk to international commerce, according to 2019 research.
