Several passengers onboard Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas were injured after a ‘freak wave’ hit the ship on a cruise in the Mediterranean on Monday.
According to a tweet from Kerry Boyd, a passenger onboard, windows were smashed.
“Woke up at 4:30am on our cruise first night when 5 windows on our floor burst open flooding the floor with sea water. All well, but tired.”
Another passenger Todd Scuderi tweeted, “I’m on Rhapsody of the Seas. Last night 4am wave hit ship and knocked out my window and 4 others on deck 3. Lucky we weren’t swept out.
“Ceilings and walls collapsed. We were all bleeding and hallway was flooded.”
Royal Caribbean later issued a statement saying, “On Monday, April 25, while sailing to Ajaccio, Corsica, Rhapsody of the Seas encountered inclement weather. Five stateroom windows on the third deck were broken, resulting in water incursion. Six rooms were damaged, and carpeting in some nearby hallways and staterooms on deck three was soaked by water. No serious injuries were reported. The windows were replaced and the ship resumed her itinerary.
“Because of the soaked flooring, which could not be immediately replaced without causing great inconvenience, 45 guests were relocated to other staterooms, and 44 departed the ship in Corsica. We have compensated all the affected guests with a full refund and future cruise certificate in the total amount of the cruise fare they paid for their sailing, as well as handling accommodations and travel costs for those who left the ship.”
