A Mediterranean cruise onboard the German Cruise ship Mein Schiff 6 ended in tragedy last week. During the morning hours, a guest fell from the cabin balcony and landed several decks down. Unfortunately, the guest did not survive the injuries sustained from the fall.
Mein Schiff 6 had almost concluded a 7-night cruise around Turkey and the Greek Islands and was en route to her homeport, Antalya, in Turkey.
Guest Falls Onboard Mein Schiff 6
Around 2 AM on Friday morning, a guest onboard the German cruise ship Mein Schiff 6 fell from the balcony on deck 10 and onto one of the lifeboats several decks down. While the shipboard medical team was on the scene quickly, unfortunately, the guest did not survive the injuries sustained from the fall.
The cruise ship, which is part of TUI Cruises, was underway to its homeport in Turkey, Antalya. The 2,534-passenger vessel had just concluded a seven-day voyage to the Greek Islands after visiting the final port of the cruise, Heraklion in Greece.
What exactly happened to the guest is not clear. According to several reports in German media, neither the cause of the fall nor the gender of the guest is known. The cruise ship sailed back to Turkey during the day at sea on Friday, and the investigation was handed over to the Turkish authorities.
TUI Cruises released a statement to kreuzfahrt-aktuelles.de: “We confirm that a guest on board Mein Schiff 6 died in the night from Thursday to Friday as a result of a fall from his own balcony. Our condolences go out to the family members. The investigation to clarify the cause has been initiated and handed over to the relevant 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 in the area until the authorities had conducted a full investigation. The 98,811 gross ton Mein Schiff 6 arrived in Antalya on Saturday but did not leave Antalya until Sunday night, a day later than scheduled.
According to Turkish media, the body of the vacationer is now in Antalya’s forensic medicine department. An autopsy will be performed there.
Could the Cruise Line Have Prevented This Accident?
Unfortunately, accidents such as what happened onboard Mein Schiff 6 do occur more often. One would wonder then what the cruise line could have done to prevent the accident from happening.
All guests are briefed extensively on the dangers of being onboard a cruise ship as soon as they board. Yet, whether it’s because a guest slips and loses balance, through alcohol abuse, or perhaps personal issues, accidents happen, and there is little a cruise ship can do to make sure accidents such as this never happen again.
Cruise ships are designed to be the ultimate vacation destination, but safety is always at the forefront of the designs. Crew members are trained extensively on safety issues, and everyone receives medical training to provide first aid. In this case, all that training did not change the outcome. Our thoughts are with the family members of the guest that passed away.
