Woman dies after going overboard from cruise ship in English Channel

Awful news

The French coastguard said they received an alert around 2am after a woman in her 20s fell from MSC Virtuosa.

A helicopter from the French navy, a RNLI lifeboat and a Channel Islands air search plane were involved in the rescue mission.

The coastguard said the helicopter winched the woman out of the waters, but sadly doctors later pronounced her dead.

In a post on Facebook, Channel Islands Air Search said they made the rescue north of Les Casquets, which is northwest of Alderney in the Channel Islands.

An investigation into the death by both French and UK police is reportedly underway.

MSC Cruises, who own MSC Virtuosa, released a statement.

"A guest on board MSC Virtuosa went overboard on 12 October, while the ship was sailing to Southampton," they wrote, via the BBC.

"The body was later recovered with the involvement of the authorities.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time.

"Out of respect for their privacy, we will not be providing further details."

The Maltese-flagged ship was built in 2020, and is currently berthed at Southampton docks.