Video shows cruise ship severely tilting due to unexpected wind gust
One passenger said the incident made him scared for his life
Cruise ship experiences major tilt during bad weather
A ship, reportedly operated by Royal Caribbean, experienced a major tilt during bad weather earlier this month. (Kennedy News Media/bookeeping.ai)
Royal Caribbean cruise guests reportedly felt their ship tilt during some bad weather last week.
The ship experienced the bout of bad weather near Tenerife, Spain, on Nov. 7, causing it to tilt to what passenger Dan So said felt like a "45-degree-angle" at one point, according to Kennedy News & Media.
Media reports identified the vessel as Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas. The company has been operating the 1,020-foot vessel over two decades.
Speaking to Kennedy News & Media, So recounted hearing "screaming sounds, glasses were falling around and the cruise had started tilting" when he exited a pub onboard the ship.
Explorer of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, is docked at PortMiami as the cruise line industry waits to begin operations again in Miami on May 26, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
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He told the outlet the tilt lasted "around three minutes," making him scared for his life.
At one point during the tilt, a skidding advertising board made contact with a man, according to footage taken by So.
"When it [the ship] tilted back, it was a big relief. And I realized we had survived something big," he told Kennedy News & Media.
The incident was so frightening that So said he "took out my phone and sent my colleagues a message that I don’t know what’s going to happen and to take care" during the tilt, according to the outlet.
Cruise ship experiences major tilt during bad weather
A ship, reportedly operated by Royal Caribbean, experienced a major tilt during bad weather earlier this month. (Kennedy News Media/bookeeping.ai)
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The cruise ship was reportedly heading toward Miami, at the time it experienced the bad weather.
When reached for comment, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told FOX Business that one of its ships "experienced sudden movement" during an "unexpected wind gust near Tenerife, Spain."
"One guest was injured and required additional medical care, resulting in the ship calling into Las Palmas, Spain, for a medical disembarkation," the spokesperson said. "We communicated these changes directly with our guests."
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The company sails 28 ships under its Royal Caribbean brand. Royal Caribbean Group counts 68 ships among its larger fleet of five brands.