One crew member is dead, two others are critically injured, and two more are dealing with minor injuries after a tragic accident on board the largest cruise liner in the world. On Tuesday morning, lifeboat drills were taking place on Royal Caribbean ‘s Harmony of the Seas when the security measures took a horrible turn.
The official website for Royal Caribbean announced on Tuesday morning that during the lifeboat safety drills, one crew member did end up losing his life. Four others were injuries during the situation aboard the Harmony of the Seas as the drills were conducted in Marseilles, France.
Sad news to share that a #HarmonyoftheSeas crew member has died of injuries suffered during a lifeboat drill conducted in Marseille, France.
— RCLcorp (@RCLcorp) September 13, 2016
Four other #HarmonyoftheSeas crewmembers received medical treatment. We’re keeping our colleagues & their families in our thoughts & prayers
— RCLcorp (@RCLcorp) September 13, 2016
Yahoo did report that the crew member that was killed was a 42-year-old Filipino man and that the accident did happen while the world’s largest cruise liner was docked. The four other crew members consisted of three Filipinos and an Indian man.
The 42-year-old man and four other crew members were in a lifeboat during the drill, and it ended up falling about 10 meters or 35 feet into the water. The four other crew members were injured, and two of them are currently fighting to stay alive per a spokesman for the wire service in France.
“One person is dead and four are injured, including two whose lives are in danger.”
Julien Ruas, deputy mayor of Marseille, did confirm that there were only five people in the lifeboat during the drill and at the time of the accident. It became detached from its fastenings and simply plummeted into the harbor water below.
A lifeboat falling from Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, killed one crew member and injured 4. https://t.co/QTR3tqfKxB
— Bradley Winston (@BradWinstonLaw) September 13, 2016
The lifeboat drill carried out on Tuesday was not new or uncommon. It is one that is done every single week aboard Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas. It involves putting the boat into the water but not in the manner it happened in France.
An investigation is still ongoing as to how “the cable or the fastenings” holding the lifeboat came undone. When that happened, city prosecutor Xavier Tarabeaux said the lifeboat simply “fell suddenly into the water.”
Due to the accident that happened on Tuesday, the Harmony of the Seas’ scheduled departure for Italy has been delayed. The investigation is expected to delay that departure from France until at least Wednesday at the very earliest.
The Harmony of the Seas just joined the fleet of Royal Caribbean ships in May, and it is the widest cruise ship ever build. It had its maiden voyage leave out of Southampton on England’s south coast and head to Barcelona, but it has traveled to numerous locations since then.
The ship includes a 10-story water slide, mini-golf, floating jacuzzis, casino, climbing wall, and numerous other activities. Royal Caribbean has placed an order for a sister ship to Harmony of the Seas to join the fleet in 2018.
Royal Caribbean has had to deal with some issues over the past few years, and this has to be one of the worst yet. The death of one crew member and serious injuries to a few others is just the latest, but it’s something that could bring about some major changes. While the Harmony of the Seas was doing lifeboat drills for safety reasons, more precautions and specifications could soon be put into place.
[Image via Royal Caribbean ]
