One person was killed and four injured when a "
rogue wave
" hit a cruise ship south of Cape Horn, the Norwegian company Viking announced on Thursday.
The accident happened at 10:40 p.m. Tuesday (01:40 GMT Wednesday) when the ship "
Viking Polaris
" was hit by "
a rogue wave
", the company said in a statement.
“
It is with great sadness that we confirm that one passenger has died as a result of this incident.
We have notified his family and offered our deepest condolences
,” according to a Viking source in Norway, who did not specify whether the victim was female or male, or his age.
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Four passengers "
suffered injuries without their lives being in danger
", added the company, which specifies that they were "
treated by the ship's doctor and medical staff
".
"
The vessel suffered minor damage in the incident and arrived at the port of Ushuaia without further incident on Wednesday afternoon local time,
" she said.
Several portholes of the ship were broken, noted an AFP journalist on the spot.
Questioned by AFP, the Argentine maritime prefecture did not provide any information on the incident.
A judicial source indicated for his part that an investigation had been opened by the federal court of the capital of the province of Tierra del Fuego.
“
We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and we will offer our support to the competent authorities
,” assured the Norwegian company, adding that it was working to organize the repatriation of passengers.
The "
Viking Polaris
" was launched in 2022 and is the Norwegian company's newest.
It has a capacity of 378 passengers with a crew of 256, according to the Viking site.
In mid-November, two American tourists aged 76 and 80 died during a cruise in Antarctica on the "
World Explorer
", when the semi-rigid aboard which they were on for an excursion capsized.
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