P & O Oceana Passenger overboard dies

[julieh]

This was very sad news today:-

 

A woman died after falling overboard from a cruise liner just before docking at a British port.

 

Police were alerted at 7am with reports of the woman going overboard from the Oceana cruise liner as it approached Southampton, Hants.

 

A spokesman for Hampshire police said that the woman had not yet been identified.

 

A Coastguard spokesman said that the ship had been searched after the husband of the 67-year-old woman reported her missing.

 

A sea search was launched involving RNLI lifeboats and the Coastguard rescue helicopter and the body was found in the water at Thorne Channel in the Solent near Cowes, Isle of Wight.

 

The body was picked up by the Calshot RNLI inshore lifeboat and airlifted by the rescue hospital to Southampton General Hospital.

 

The spokesman added that sea conditions were calm with good visibility when the woman was reported missing while the Oceana was near Calshot, Hampshire.

 

A spokesman for P&O Cruises said: "We can confirm that a person was reported missing from their cabin just prior to daybreak this morning as Oceana was approaching Southampton.

 

"Our missing persons procedures were immediately put into action and this included notification of the Coastguard. After a search a person was recovered from the water but was unfortunately pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital. A police investigation is under way with which we are co-operating fully."

 

The spokesman added the Oceana, which has a capacity of 2,272 passengers, was returning to Southampton following a two-day cruise to Zeebrugge, Belgium, and is due to depart this evening for a 14-night trip to the western Mediterranean.

 

Our thoughts are with this poor ladies family and especially her husband at this very sad time.

 

Julie

[choochella]

That is terrible news. I just can't seem to understand how people just seem to "fall" overboard. You have to somehow climb the railing. I wonder if she was despondent in any way. Maybe we'll know more later.

[britsbest]

http://www.thisishampshire.net/display.var.1724340.0.body_of_cruise_passenger_pulled_from_solent.php

[BND]

That is terrible news. I just can't seem to understand how people just seem to "fall" overboard. You have to somehow climb the railing. I wonder if she was despondent in any way. Maybe we'll know more later.

 

I'm sorry this happened, but the fact is, unless you climb on something you can't "fall" overboard. It's not like you can trip and fly over the railing unless you're 8 feet tall. The vast majority of falls have been shown to involve alcohol or suicide, so there is more to this story than just someone falling overboard. The problem is the families left behind are usually left totally in the dark as to what happened.

[jacketwatch]

:( Very sad news. I assume there will be an autopsy. Maybe that will shed some light on this sad event.

[Colo Cruiser]

I agree it is very sad, but I still wonder how someone "falls" overboard. :)

[Pam in CA]

I agree it is very sad, but I still wonder how someone "falls" overboard. :)

I agree. You really have to make an effort to "fall" over the railing. In just about every case documented so far, the person was sitting or standing on the railing. You need to raise your center of gravity to go over the railing.

[MattOsprey]

Very sad news, on the ship I have enjoyed most.

Lets wait and see what the official outcome is.

[Shogun]

Hi Folks,

 

It is sad, but us others have said it is hard to fall over board,

 

an old person, before day break, sorry to me it does not sound like an accident,

 

I have talked to a few older couples how have said that if they knew there time was up, they would like to go together, from a cruise ship after being to places that ment much to them in years gone by, they said they would leave a letter for their cabin steward to hand to the captain.

 

When one couple told me this I thought about telling the captain, because I thought they might be trying to me this was there plan, but then I thought, if this is what they wanted it was wrong of me to stop them, I was very pleased to see them the next morning as it was the last day of the cruise.

 

yours Shogun

[hooked cruiser]

The following link is the latest on the tragedy,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/7021503.stm