Norwegian Escape cruise ship passengers were injured when a “sudden, extreme gust of wind” caused the ship to list, officials say
Jennifer Sangalang and Malcolm Denemark, Florida Today
PORT CANAVERAL — Several passengers aboard the Norwegian Escape cruise ship were injured Sunday when what cruise officials described as a “sudden, extreme gust of wind” caused the ship to suddenly list.
The ship docked about 11:30 a.m. at Terminal 10 on the north side of Port Canaveral, and Brevard County Fire Rescue ambulances awaited the ship’s arrival. A line of ambulances could be seen headed to the area where the ship was docked.
In a series of tweets, Norwegian cruise officials said the 20-deck ship suddenly tilted just before midnight Sunday under the force of an unexpected gale topping 100 knots, or about 115 mph.
The incident happened as a strong weather front moved across the eastern seaboard of the U.S., creating a string of tornadoes across Georgia and Alabama. The ship had departed from New York hours earlier on Sunday.
“Several injuries were reported and those guests and crew received immediate attention or are being treated by the ship’s medical staff,” company officials wrote. “There was no damage to the ship; she remains fully operational and continues her scheduled itinerary.”
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The response was prompted by the report of a passenger on social media, who Tweeted: “The scariest (expletive) just happened on this cruise. Chairs, tables, glass, people went flying to one side of the ship.”
Another passenger gave a harrowing account of the incident on Facebook: “All the plates and glassware smashed on the floor. A lotto machine fell on a lady. Blood everywhere. My mom spoke with a lady today who has been working cruises for 18 years and she said never has anything this bad ever happened.”
The Norwegian Escape can carry up to 4,266 guests and a crew of 1,733. The cruise ship reached the Jetty Park area about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday.
The ship was on a seven-day round-trip cruise that departed from New York on Sunday. It is expected to head on to the Bahamas before returning to New York.
This story will be updated.
J.D. Gallop contributed to this report.
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Due to Hurricane Florence, the Norwegian Escape cruise ship detoured to Port Canaveral on Sept. 11, 2018, for a port of call stop instead of Bermuda.
Malcolm Denemark, FLORIDA TODAY
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