Cruise passenger died and more than 100 injured after ship was hit by high winds

It is claimed that extreme weather led to the death of a passenger on a cruise ship in 2023.

According to The Independent, an interim report from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has revealed that strong force 11 winds hit the sea. Spirit of Discovery ship on November 4, 2023, injuring more than 100 people and killing one person.

The ship, which was reportedly hit by winds of more than 100 km per hour and waves of 7.5 meters, had to cancel its trip to Las Palmas due to bad weather and sail towards A Coruña instead.

After this, the crew made the decision to return to Britain due to weather conditions which activated the ship’s propulsion safety system, causing the ship to veer to the left before stopping.

According to the BBC, the MAIB report stated that when the ship arrived in Portsmouth, eight passengers had to be taken to hospital, one of whom later died from their injuries.

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There were a total of 943 passengers and 503 crew on board when the Spirit of Discovery, operated by Saga Cruises, departed from Puerto del Rosario in Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands.

“At approximately 12.30pm on 4 November 2023, the passenger ship Spirit of Discovery lost propulsion in heavy weather while crossing the Bay of Biscay,” the report said, according to The Independent. “This caused the ship to move violently as the crew restarted the ship’s propulsion.”

The report added: “Problems with propulsion, gale force and ship movements continued into the following morning Spirit of discovery could continue his passage.”

“The MAIB investigation has considered all aspects of the accident to determine its causes and circumstances Spirit of discovery‘loss of propulsion in severe weather and the onboard response, including analysis of the ship’s intended passage, preparations for operation in severe weather, the onboard response to passenger injuries and damage, and the medical treatment of injured passengers’ continued the statement.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a Saga Cruises spokesperson said: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences remain with the family of our guest who died following the storm in the Bay of Biscay last year.”

“We continue to work with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and support their investigation,” she added.

PEOPLE has contacted MAIB for further comment.