Crew Member Takes Fatal Fall Off World's Largest Cruise Ship

A crew member aboard Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas died after falling overboard while the ship was off the coast of the Bahamas. Officials say the incident happened around 7pm local time on Thursday, reports WSVN. TMZ cites a Bahamian police official who says the man's death was a suicide, without offering further details. The cruise line confirmed the man's death to People, saying the crew "immediately initiated a search and rescue operation," but that the individual didn't survive. The crew member's identity hasn't been released, other than a police release noting he was a 35-year-old South African male.

The Daily Beast reports that the man allegedly stabbed a fellow crew member, a 28-year-old female who was also from South Africa, "multiple times" before he "fled from the scene and jumped into the water," per the release. Witnesses said the man went overboard from the ship's port side, prompting the crew to drop life preservers to mark the spot and slow the vessel, per People. An alarm sounded and the ship turned around as a rescue boat was deployed; CBS News Miami has footage of some of the rescue attempt. The man was pulled from the water and brought onto a dinghy, but efforts to save him were unsuccessful. An autopsy is pending.

The female victim, meanwhile, suffered stab wounds to her upper body. She was treated and is in stable condition, per the police release. The cruise line says in a statement that the stabbing resulted from a "personal dispute," per the New York Post. At the time of the incident, Icon of the Seas—the world's largest cruise ship—was sailing toward CocoCay in the Bahamas. Despite the tragedy, the ship continued its scheduled route and is expected to return to Miami on Saturday. (If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available by calling or texting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or by heading to 988lifeline.org.)