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A woman who died after falling overboard from a Southampton-bound cruise ship near the Channel Islands has been named.
The tragic incident happened on the Maltese-flagged MSC Virtuosa north of Les Casquets rocks, west of Alderney, in the early hours of Saturday (12 October).
It prompted a major search and rescue operation involving the French coastguard and navy and an air search plane - before the woman’s body was discovered in the water.
On Wednesday, the Colombian consultate in London named the woman as Jessica Andrea Gómez Granda. The 28-year-old Colombian national was identified with authorities in Paris and her family had been notified, a spokesperson said.
Following the tragedy, passengers on the cruise ship spoke of their horror at what happened.
One passenger, who wished to be identified only as Neil, recalled hearing an alarm ring three times, indicating that a person had gone overboard.
He said: “I went up along with lots of other passengers to have a look. About half an hour later, the cruise director informed us they were searching for a missing passenger, which would delay our arrival in Southampton.”
The MSC Virtuosa, a Maltese-flagged cruise ship capable of accommodating up to 6,334 passengers and 1,704 crew members, docked in Southampton at around 8am on Saturday, following its journey from Cartagena in Spain.
The ship’s owner MSC Cruises told The Independent on Sunday: “A guest on board MSC Virtuosa went overboard on 12 October, while the ship was sailing to Southampton. The body was later recovered with the involvement of the authorities.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time. Out of respect for their privacy, we will not be providing further details.”
The investigation into Ms Gómez Granda’s death is being led by French police, which are working with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary to gather further information.
