One person was killed and four injured when a “rogue wave” hit a cruise ship south of Cape Horn, the Norwegian company Viking announced on Thursday.
The accident happened at 10:40 p.m. local time on Tuesday when the ship “Viking Polaris” was hit by “a rogue wave,” the company said in a statement.
“It is with great sadness that we confirm that one passenger has died as a result of this incident. We have informed his family and offered our deepest condolences,” according to a source from Viking in Norway, who did not specify whether the victim was a woman or a man, or his age.
Four passengers “suffered injuries without their lives being in danger”, added the company which specifies that they were “treated by the doctor and the medical staff of the ship”.
“The vessel suffered minor damage during the incident and arrived at the port of Ushuaia without further incident on Wednesday followingnoon local time,” she said.
AFP
Several portholes of the ship were broken, noted an AFP journalist on the spot.
Questioned by AFP, the Argentine maritime prefecture did not provide any information on the incident.
A judicial source indicated for his part that an investigation had been opened by the federal court of the capital of the province of Tierra del Fuego.
“We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and we will offer our support to the competent authorities,” assured the Norwegian company, adding that it was working to organize the repatriation of passengers.
The “Viking Polaris” was launched in 2022 and is the newest from the Norwegian company. It has a capacity of 378 passengers with a crew of 256, according to the Viking site.
In mid-November, two American tourists aged 76 and 80 were killed during a cruise in Antarctica on the “World Explorer”, when the semi-rigid aboard which they were on for an excursion capsized.