Woman tragically found dead after falling off cruise ship

A 23 year-old woman’s body has been recovered after falling off a cruise ship in South Australia.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) confirmed the body was found near Cape Jaffa around 7am on Wednesday December 14, following her falling Pacific Explorer. Crew members were reportedly informed of the missing passenger at about 11:30pm Tuesday, with emergency authorities involved shortly after. An ASMA spokesperson said: “The body of a woman was found by rescue helicopter this morning at about 7am and was taken to Mt Gambier hospital for identification. “AMSA expresses condolences to the family of the deceased.” A Carnival Cruises spokesperson said: “This tragic discovery comes after an overnight search and rescue operation. “We continue to provide care and assistance to the family member this guest was travelling with and extend our deepest condolences to their loved ones. “As you can appreciate this has also deeply impacted our remaining guests and crew. We thank all involved who supported this distressing and challenging search operation.” The ship was on a four day roundtrip from Melbourne, with a scheduled stop in Kangaroo Island. However, shortly after the body was found, passengers were informed that the ship would not port at Kangaroo Island, instead slowly returning to Melbourne. Victoria Police are currently leading the investigation into the circumstances of the death.