Passengers hang on walls, tables like freak storm spikes Cruise ship 45 degrees

A cruise ship bound for Florida was caught in a freak storm last week that brought winds so strong that they overturned the ship over to one side. Royal Caribbean cruise ship tipped to 45 degrees during the storm, causing passengers to fear “they were going to die.”

Royal Caribbean cruise ship Explorer of the Seas was sailing from Spain to Miami, Florida, last Thursday when it encountered a freak storm just off the Spanish coast, reports Subway. While sailing near the Spanish island of Tenerife, 80 mph crosswinds from a freak storm hit the side of the ship and pushed it over to a 45 degree angle.

The ship allegedly stayed in the nervous angle for more than three minutes, after which billboards fell loose and hit passengers. Passengers also clung to tables and walls to try to stay upright, while desks came loose and slid along the floor. Subway reports:

Dan So had just left a pub quiz and was walking through the shopping deck of the cruise ship when he heard the ‘scream and glass smash’.

His footage of the incident shows a digital billboard sliding across the floor and hitting another passenger, who pushed it away and grabbed a woman’s hand as they sped off.

Dan said he ‘thought he was going to die’ as the ship maintained its dramatic tilt for ‘about three minutes’ – even sending a goodbye message to work colleagues.

A passenger was also injured during the ordeal and other cruisers were sent back to their cabins while crews carried out “accountability checks”. reports New York Post.

The ship then made an emergency stop at Las Palmas, Spain, so that the injured guest could receive medical attention. Crews also took time to clean up the mess left after the tilt, which included crockery and cups strewn across the decks, a grand piano that had slipped from the stage and glassware from the bars smashed on the floor.

When the injured passenger received medical attention, the vessel resumed operation and coming to Miami three days late on November 17.

Cruise ships running into extreme storms while at sea are an increasing occurrence in these troubling times. Last year, a Carnival cruise was “destroyed” after hitting severe weather over Memorial Day weekend and a passenger was killed when a rogue wave hit the side of an Antarctic cruise ship operated by the Swiss company Viking.