A cruise in the Mediterranean aboard the German cruise ship Mein Schiff 6 ended tragically last week. During the morning hours a guest fell from the cabin balcony and landed several decks below. Unfortunately, the guest did not survive the injuries sustained in the fall.
Mein Schiff 6 had nearly completed a 7 night cruise around Turkey and the Greek Islands and was on her way to her home port of Antalya, Turkey.
Guest drops aboard Mein Schiff 6
At around 2 a.m. Friday morning, a guest aboard the German cruise ship Mein Schiff 6 fell from the balcony on Deck 10 and onto one of the lifeboats several decks below. While the on-board medical team was on the scene quickly, unfortunately the guest did not survive the injuries sustained in the fall.
The cruise ship, which is part of TUI Cruises, was en route to her home port in Turkey, Antalya. The 2,534-passenger ship had just completed a seven-day voyage to the Greek islands after visiting the cruise’s final port, Heraklion in Greece.
What exactly happened to the guest is unclear. According to several reports in the German media, neither the cause of the fall nor the sex of the guest is known. The cruise ship returned to Turkey during the day at sea on Friday, and the investigation has been handed over to Turkish authorities.
TUI Cruises released a statement for kreuzfahrt-aktuelles.de: “We confirm that a guest on board the Mein Schiff 6 died overnight Thursday to Friday following a fall from his own balcony. Our condolences go out to the family members. The investigation to clarify the cause has been opened and forwarded to the competent authorities.
“We ask for your understanding that we will not comment beyond this out of consideration for the bereaved families.”
The ship’s crew cordoned off the area around the cabin and no one was allowed to enter the area until authorities conducted a thorough investigation. The gross ton of 98,811 Mein Schiff 6 arrived in Antalya on Saturday but left Antalya only on Sunday evening, a day later than planned.
According to Turkish media, the body of the vacationer is now in the forensic service of Antalya. An autopsy will be performed there.
Could the cruise line have prevented this accident?
Unfortunately, accidents like what happened on board Mein Schiff 6 occur more often. One would then wonder what the cruise line could have done to prevent the accident from happening.
All passengers are fully informed of the dangers of being on board a cruise ship from the moment they embark. Yet, whether it’s because of a guest slipping and losing their balance, due to alcohol abuse, or perhaps personal issues, accidents do happen, and a cruise ship can’t do much- something to ensure that such accidents never happen again.
Cruise ships are designed to be the ultimate vacation destination, but safety always comes first drawings. Crew members receive extensive safety training and everyone receives medical training to provide first aid. In this case, all that training didn’t change the outcome. Our thoughts are with the family members of the deceased guest.
