A Royal Caribbean crew member died after allegedly stabbing a colleague and jumping overboard from the Icon of the Seas while the cruise ship was sailing near the Bahamas.
According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the incident occurred on Thursday evening, July 24th, near San Salvador Island. A 35-year-old South African man reportedly stabbed a 28-year-old female crew member, also from South Africa, multiple times in the upper body before fleeing the scene and jumping off the ship.
Onboard medical staff later recovered the man from the water and pronounced him dead. The woman survived the attack and remains in stable condition after receiving medical treatment.
The ship, which was en route back to Miami from a Caribbean voyage, initiated a search and rescue operation following the incident. Passengers reported hearing the emergency code “Oscar, Oscar, Oscar” announced over the ship’s intercom, signaling a man overboard. The vessel then slowed and turned around as part of the response.
Royal Caribbean confirmed the incident stemmed from a personal conflict between two employees. A company spokesperson stated that the injured crew member received medical attention on board and is now in stable condition.
The company expressed condolences to the deceased crew member’s family and noted it would not provide further details out of respect for the privacy of those involved.
Authorities have not released the names of either individual, and the motive behind the altercation remains unknown. An autopsy is underway to establish the precise cause of death.
The Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, left Miami on July 19th and made stops in St. Maarten, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas before heading back to Florida. It holds over 7,900 people across 20 decks and includes seven pools, six water slides, and nine whirlpools.
