“Rogue Wave” kills an American woman and injures four on an Antarctic cruise

CNN
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A passenger was killed and four injured when their ship was hit by a “rogue wave” during a storm earlier this week.

Passengers were taking an Antarctic cruise aboard the Viking Polaris when it was hit by the storm as it was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, late Tuesday night.

The storm caused a giant wave that shattered several panes of glass on the cruise ship and fell on and killed an American woman.

Viking Cruises confirmed in a statement It was issued on Saturday that the ship was hit by a “vicious wave” — a type of wave the US National Oceanic Service describes as “more than twice the size of the surrounding waves.”

“It is with great sadness that we have confirmed the death of one of the guests following the accident,” said Viking Cruises.

It did not disclose the passenger’s name or nationality.

But Argentina’s state-run news agency said the dead passenger was an American woman who “took blows from a glass roof that collapsed in the midst of the storm.”

“Four other guests sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and were treated by the ship’s onboard doctor and medical staff,” Viking said.

The cruise line said it was investigating the matter and canceled the upcoming Viking Polaris cruise, scheduled for December 5-17.

Viking Cruises said the boat arrived in Argentina on Wednesday and suffered “limited damage” during the incident.

The US National Ocean Service describes rogue waves as “extremely unpredictable” and says they often come unexpectedly from directions other than the prevailing winds and waves.