A routine cruise drill went horribly wrong, leaving five dead in a lifeboat drill on Sunday. Five crew members were killed and three others were injured when a lifeboat went crashing down off the ship.
The Thomson Majesty was performing a routine safety drill at port in the Canary Island of La Palma in Spain on Sunday when the lifeboat crashed almost 100 feet into the water below. Investigators are trying to determine what caused the lifeboat to fal.
"We are working closely with the ship owners and managers, Louis Cruises, to determine exactly what has happened and provide assistance to those affected by the incident. We are also working closely with all relevant authorities and will be cooperating fully with their investigations," a Thomson Cruises statement said, according to the Telegraph.
According to the Telegraph, the cables for the lifeboat snapped while it was being lowered into the water. The boat then landed upside down.
Five crew members died in the incident and three others were taken by ambulance to the hospital to be treated for their injuries. One of the injured crew members was discharged and the two others are expected to leave as well.
Among the dead were three Indonesian men, a Filipino man, and a man from Ghana. The injured were also men. One is a 32-year-old Greek national and the other two are 30 years old.
Rescue crews were called to the scene at 7:05 a.m. on Sunday. When they arrived, they found a small, white two-hulled lifeboat capsized next to the Thomson Cruises ship. There were 1,400 passenger on board during the incident but they were not involved and no passengers were injured.
One passenger, Jim McArthur, 49, from Scotland told the Telegraph about the situation on board the seven-night cruise.
"There is a very subdued mood on board and the updates are not as forthcoming as we would like but we just have to wait and see what happens in the morning," he said. "It fell very close to the ship itself so we couldn't see what was happening down there but could see the rescue boats and helicopters trying to save them."
The was scheduled to set sail to Funchal in Madeira, Portugal on Sunday afternoon.
La Palma was set to hold Carnival events on Sunday but the events were cancelled. They will resume as normal on Monday.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
