A Royal Caribbean crew member stabbed a fellow crew member on a cruise ship and then died after jumping overboard Thursday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred near the Bahamas off San Salvador Island on the Icon of the Seas cruise ship, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force. Around 7:30 p.m. local time, a 35-year-old South African man allegedly stabbed a 28-year-old South African woman multiple times, police said.
The man fled the scene and jumped into the water. He was later found unresponsive and pronounced dead by onboard medical staff, police said. The woman suffered stab wounds to her upper body and was last reported to be in stable condition, police said.
“Our crew immediately initiated a search and rescue operation, but unfortunately the crew member passed away,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement to CBS News Friday. “We extend our condolences to the crew member’s family and loved ones. To respect their privacy, we have no additional details to share.”
Passengers on board shared videos with CBS News Miami that showed crew members running to help after hearing “oscar oscar oscar” on the intercom, which is the secret man overboard code.
The ship slowed down and turned around quickly after that call went out, according to passengers.
Royal Caribbean did not identify the crew members involved or provide a possible motive in the stabbing.
The incident remains under investigation, police said, and an autopsy has been scheduled.
The Icon of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world. It was on a 7-night cruise out of PortMiami.
The incident comes nearly a month after a dad jumped off a Disney cruise ship to save his 5-year-old daughter who fell overboard as it sailed between the Bahamas and Fort Lauderdale. They both survived.
“When you look at the amount of cruise ships we have all over the world as of today and the amount of people aboard them you will find that this is a rarity rather than a normality,” said Susan Rice, New Era Travel president.
According to its itinerary, the Icon of the Seas is set to return to PortMiami on Saturday.
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