MIAMI – An “unexpected wind gust” caused trouble on a transatlantic cruise bound for Miami. One passenger was injured.
Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas departed Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday and was due to arrive in Miami next Thursday.
That arrival date has been pushed back three days because of the wind gust, which caused a mess and damages throughout the ship.
In a statement, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said, “During an unexpected wind gust near Tenerife, Spain, one of our sailings experienced sudden movement. One of our guests was injured and requires additional medical care, so the ship will make a call in Las Palmas, Spain for a medical disembarkation. We are communicating these changes directly with our guests.”
6 p.m. report:
Local 10 News spoke to Jonathan Parrish, a passenger aboard the ship.
“I would say, yeah, there’s an element of panic, of course, because I mean, it’s the unknown, like, you didn’t know what was happening,” Parrish said. “I think with the rapid announcements on behalf of the crew, it kind of gave you a sense of security. ‘OK. Here’s what happened. Here’s the actions that they took’ and then it seemed like the crew was very well-trained.”
Parrish said crew members said the wind went from 46 to 84 mph in the span of six minutes, in what was described as “turbulence at sea.”
Another passenger, Terry Kelly, shared video of the aftermath and spoke to Local 10 News from the ship.
“The drawers were opened on the dressers and stuff, and things were on the floor and everything,” sid Kelly. “Most people seem to be ok with it. I think a few people are unnerved with it.”