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Five bodies were recovered from the water on a Princess Cruises ship en route to Spain.
Crew members of the Sapphire Princess were en route to Cartagena on April 21 when they “spotted orange inflatable life jackets in the water,” the cruise line told USA TODAY. The ship departed Civitavecchia, Italy, on April 19 for a two-week cruise to Copenhagen, according to Cruise Mapper.
The ship changed course to investigate and a fast rescue boat was dispatched.
“The five deceased persons were recovered by the crew of the Sapphire Princess, working in collaboration with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC),” the company said in an emailed statement. The cruise line did not identify the individuals, but confirmed they were not guests or employees of the ship.
The cruise line added: “We offer our sincere condolences for this loss and thank the crew for their quick response and assistance.” MRCC could not be reached for comment.
The news comes after another Princess ship, the Regal Princess, rescued four people from a small ship in distress during a Caribbean cruise in February.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. Please contact us at ndiller@usatoday.com.
