Woman dies after going overboard on cruise ship returning to Florida

A woman died after going overboard on a cruise ship early Thursday morning. The 36-year-old was on the MSC Meraviglia, which was about 18 miles off the of Port Canaveral, Florida when she fell into the sea, the Coast Guard told CBS News. 

The cruise ship was scheduled to return to Port Canaveral that morning. 

The coast guard launched a rescue crew by boat and helicopter and located the woman’s body at around 7:30 a.m. 

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the family during this extremely difficult time and we ask for discretion as we notify the family of this tragedy,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs Detachment in Jacksonville, Florida said in a statement.

The cause of the incident is under investigation, the spokesperson said. 

The MSC Meraviglia later docked at Port Canaveral, according to CBS Orlando. CBS News has reached out to the cruise line for information and is awaiting response.

A photographer for ABC affiliate WFTV was on the ship, which was returning from the Bahamas, and said emergency notifications were made over the ship’s loudspeaker. The ship was held in the water and passenger and crew gathered on the deck, the station reports. 

Last month, the Coast Guard rescued a man who went overboard on the Carnival Valor. He treaded water for more than 15 hours and was near death when they rescued him about 20 miles south of Southwest Pass, Louisiana.

Caitlin O’Kane

Caitlin O’Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.