MSC Virtuosa passenger recounts captain's six-word warning as woman fell overboard

A passenger has recounted the moment they heard the captain announce that someone had fallen overboard.

Search and rescue teams confirmed on Saturday that the bafter the Maltese-flagged ship set off from the archipelago. A helicopter deployed by the Navy found the woman at around 3am following around an hour of searching.

One passenger aboard the vessel, which is owned and operated by MSC Cruises, said they watched the entire search effort unfold from aboard the Virtuosa. They told of the moment the captain alerted them that someone had fallen overboard and issued a six-word warning.

READ MORE:

Speaking to the , the passenger - who wished to remain anonymous - said she initially thought the captain was announcing an emergency aboard the ship when his voice came over the Tannoy. They said: "The announcement happened at 12.55am UK time. I had just got back to the cabin after having some food, and it was three long beeps.

"I thought it would go to seven, which signals an emergency, but it was three long beeps and the captain said 'man overboard, man overboard, man overboard'." The passenger added that the announcement was the loudest they had "ever heard on the ship", and that a second followed at 1.30am BST.

During the second announcement, they said the captain informed passengers they were still looking for the person who fell overboard, and added that "our thoughts are with the family at the moment". The passenger added that the ship, at that point, had started turning around, with the captain warning their journey time would be delayed.

The passenger added that, contrary to claims on social media, Virtuosa staff did work hard to assist the rescue efforts despite the complete lack of sea visibility. They said the "whole sea was black" when they went out onto the balcony at around 1.40am, and that, in the following 20 minutes "all different kinds of ships" sailed to help aid the search effort and flood the area with light.

At around 2.30am, they said they saw helicopters arrive and "circle quite high" for around 15 minutes before one of the pair flew in close to the sea. By what they believed was around 3.20am, they said the helicopters could be seen "winching something up". MSC Cruises confirmed in a statement that a guest fell overboard while sailing to Southampton, but did not provide further details.

The statement read: "A guest on board MSC Virtuosa went overboard on 12 October, while the ship was sailing to Southampton. The body was later recovered with the involvement of the authorities. We are deeply saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time. Out of respect for their privacy, we will not be providing further details."