A woman on board a Virgin Voyages cruise liner has died after falling off a balcony and landing on a fellow passenger on a deck below, say reports.
The incident occurred shortly after the cruise ship departed from Miami ahead of its scheduled itinerary to Roatan in Honduras on Sunday evening.
The woman is thought to have been on the balcony before falling over and landing on to another passenger, who remarkably came away unscathed.
The victim received immediate medical attention but died at the scene. It is believed that the ship returned to Miami following the tragic incident with local officials working to determine what led to the woman's fall.
A statement from Virgin Voyages read: "On Sunday, shortly after departure there was a medical emergency involving one of our passengers. This passenger went over their balcony onto a lower deck, and despite receiving immediate medical attention, has passed away. We are deeply saddened by this loss of life and our hearts and thoughts are with this person’s loved ones.
"After the incident, the ship was immediately redirected back to Miami, where the team are working closely with local officials."
The tragic incident comes less than a month after a woman was found dead on a Carnival Cruise ship.
An FBI investigation has been launched after crew were notified that a woman was found unresponsive onboard and medical personnel rushed to help.
The cruise ship, Carnival Sunshine, had departed from Charleston, South Carolina on February 27 and was heading to the Bahamas.
After failed attempts to resuscitate the woman, she was pronounced dead and her body was removed three days later when the ship arrived in Nassau.
When the ship later returned to Charleston on March 4, an FBI team of investigators boarded the cruise and examined the woman's room. The woman had been travelling with her husband, a statement from the operator said.
Carnival said it was also co-operating with local authorities. A statement read: "The FBI joined Carnival Sunshine upon its return to Charleston yesterday morning to conduct an investigation into the death of a guest."
It added: "Both the deceased and her husband were debarked in Nassau and Bahamian authorities have already investigated the circumstances and are conducting an autopsy.
"We are fully cooperating. This is a matter for authorities in The Bahamas and Charleston and we have no further comments."
Carnival Sunshine's home port is in South Carolina. Its maiden voyage floated in 1996 as Carnival Destiny before being renamed in 2013.
