Royal Caribbean crew member, 35, jumps to his death off cruise ship near San Salvador ‘after stabbing female coworker, 28’
A Royal Caribbean crew member jumped to his death after he stabbed a female coworker while the ship was cruising through the Bahamas, police said.
The unidentified South African male crew member, 35, stabbed his 28-year-old coworker multiple times during a personal dispute on Thursday, the cruise line and the Royal Bahamas Police Force confirmed.
‘One of the crew members was injured, [she] was attended to by the onboard medical team, and she is now in stable condition,’ Royal Caribbean told Daily Mail in a statement.
‘Unfortunately, the other crew member is deceased after he went overboard.’
The female employee, who is also South African, was treated for stab wounds and is ‘presently in a stable condition’, according to Superintendent Stephen Rolle.
After stabbing her, the male worker plunged off the ship at around 7pm.
An Oscar alert – which notifies ship passengers that someone went over – was immediately enacted.
Rescue crews retrieved his body shortly after he went overboard and he was found unresponsive. Crews could be seen performing CPR, but he was eventually declared deceased.
Royal Bahamian Police Force told Daily Mail in a statement that the ‘matter is presently being investigated.’
The unidentified South African male crew member, 35, stabbed his 28-year-old coworker, who was also South African, multiple times during a personal dispute, the cruise line and the Royal Bahamas Police Force said (pictured: the male crew member underwater, left)
The woman is in stable condition, Royal Caribbean told Daily Mail (pictured: stock image of Icon of the Seas)
‘The cruise ship just arrived on the island this morning,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail.
Rescue efforts were deployed immediately on Thursday and the boat turned back toward the overboard man.
The boat was near San Salvador, which is roughly 200 miles East of Nassau, when it turned backed.
Earlier, the cruise line offered condolences to the man’s family.
‘Unfortunately, the crew member passed away,’ the cruise line confirmed in a statement to Cruise Hive, which first reported on the story.
‘We extend our condolences to the crew member’s family and loved ones. To respect their privacy, we have no additional details to share.’
The Icon of the Seas ship runs a seven-day trip, where the last stop before returning to the US is at CocoCay, Bahamas, a private island owned by the Royal Caribbean.
Royal Bahamian Police Force told Daily Mail in a statement that the ‘matter is presently being investigated (pictured: rescue efforts)
The ship is on course and is expected to return to Miami on Saturday.
The Icon of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world at nearly 1,200 feet long. It cost $2billion to build the vessel and was one of the most expensive ever.
It holds up to 7,600 passengers and weighs at about 250,800 tons.
