A passenger died after falling from a cruise ship balcony and landing on a lower deck, where they also struck another person

The incident happened on the Valiant Lady cruise liner, pictured here on June, 20, 2022, arriving in Marseille, France.

Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

• A Virgin Voyages passenger died after falling from a balcony on the Valiant Lady cruise liner.
• The person struck another passenger, but that person was not seriously injured.
• The cruise ship was redirected back to Miami before departed again with a changed itinerary.

A passenger on a Virgin Voyages cruise ship died over the weekend after a fall from the ship's balcony, landing on a lower deck, and colliding with another person.

Shortly after its initial departure on Sunday, the cruise line's Valiant Lady ship was headed to Roatan, Honduras, when there was a "medical emergency" involving a passenger, a Virgin Voyages spokesperson said in a statement provided to Insider.

"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," the statement said.

The passenger who fell also struck another passenger on the lower deck, but that person was not seriously injured, per the spokesperson. 

Following the incident, the cruise ship was immediately redirected back to Miami. It has since departed again to resume the cruise with some changes to the planned itinerary.

The Miami Police Department and the FBI did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

A YouTuber who was on the cruise shared video of announcements that were made to passengers on board, including informing them that the ship was turning around at about 11 p.m. due to a medical emergency.

J. Alexander, who runs the YouTube channel The Shiplife, said in the hours that followed he heard from others on board that a person had fallen from a balcony. At around 8 a.m., the captain made an announcement confirming a person had fallen and died.

Alexander said passengers on board were shaken up by the incident, and that some passengers chose to disembark in Miami rather than continue on with the cruise. 

He also said Virgin Voyages has been very accommodating and offered passengers future cruise credits.

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