Woman 'dead after going overboard' on Channel Islands cruise on Saturday night
by Chay Quinn · LBCBy Chay Quinn
A woman has died after going overboard on a cruise ship near the Channel Islands, the French coastguard has confirmed.
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The French coastguard said it received a callout after midnight on Saturday.
A French naval helicopter, RNLI lifeboat and Channel Islands air search plane were involved in the rescue mission.
A spokesperson for the French prefecture maritime said its helicopter found a person in the water and hoisted them before a medic pronounced them dead.
A French coastguard spokesman said the navy helicopter recovered the casualty, reported to be a woman, from the water but she was pronounced dead.
He said: "The H160 helicopter finds the person in its search area and hoists them out.
"The helicopter lands at the Tourlaville rescue centre where a medical team declares the death." A MSC Cruises spokeswoman said: "A guest on board MSC Virtuosa went overboard on 12 October, while the ship was sailing to Southampton.
"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 service said an investigation is underway by both British and French police.
The cruise vessel was the MSC Virtuosa, which was north of Les Casquets in the Channel Islands when the person went overboard.
The Maltese-flagged cruise ship is 331m (1,086ft) long and 43m (141ft) wide, according to MarineTraffic.
The vessel is now berthed at Southampton docks, having arrived at about 08:00 from Cartagena Port in Spain.