07/07/2009

Man Dies In Cruise Ship Outbreak

A cruise ship passenger has died aboard a ship, while 150 others have been taken ill in an outbreak of a vomiting bug at a Highland harbour.

The Marco Polo, which is touring the British Isles with 769 passengers and 340 crew, is thought to have been hit by an outbreak of norovirus - also known as the winter vomiting bug.

However, tests are still being carried out to confirm the nature of the illness.

Transocean Tours of Bremen - the ship's operators - last night confirmed a 74-year-old man died on the vessel after suffering a fatal heart attack.

It is not yet clear if he was suffering from the norovirus.

A company spokesman said: "In an unrelated incident today, a 74-year-old male passenger, with chronic heart and breathing problems, suffered a fatal heart attack on board ship and paramedics were unable to resuscitate him."

A post-mortem examination will be carried out to establish the exact cause of the man's death.

Dr Ken Oates, of NHS Highland, said: "We are working with local GPs in Invergordon as a number of people on board a cruise liner are suffering from vomiting.

"It is a suspected outbreak of norovirus but we have to carry out further tests before we are able to confirm exactly what it is."

NHS highland added a total of 150 people were suffering from sickness and abdominal cramps - symptoms of the virus which affects up to one million people in the UK every year.

Local GPs and community nurses have boarded the Marco Polo to assist the ship's doctor, while two of the passengers are now being treated at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

It also emerged that passengers on the previous voyage of the Marco Polo who disembarked on Saturday were also struck with a sickness bug.

The Marco Polo left Tilbury docks in London at the weekend and is due to sail around Britain and Ireland over the next week.

(JM/BMcC)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

11 February 2013
Pirates Take Hostages From British Ship
Three crewmen have been taken hostage in an attack by pirates on a British ship off the west coast of Africa, the BBC has reported. The victims are a Romanian and two Russians. They were kidnapped when pirates took control of the Esther C cargo ship in the Gulf of Guinea.
12 February 2007
HMS Intrepid to be recycled in the UK
The former Royal Navy assault ship HMS Intrepid is expected to be recycled at a British facility, the Ministry of Defence has announced. The 12,000 tonne vessel, which is a key part of the fleet that led the campaign to retake the Falkland Islands 25 years ago, has been moored in Portsmouth harbour since she left service in 1999.
13 March 2014
Arrest Made After Man Found With Penis Cut Off
Police have arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with another man who was found by the side of a road with his penis cut off. According to police a man aged 40 was found "in a distressed state" on the A66 in the early hours of Thursday morning, suffering wounds to his groin.
10 September 2008
Twice As Many Mentally Ill People End Up In Police Custody
Twice as many people are detained in unsuitable police custody for assessment under the Mental Health Act as those taken by the police to hospital for this purpose, according to research published by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) today.
26 January 2007
Four arrested over injured baby
Police are questioning four people after a baby boy was taken to hospital suffering serious head injuries in Manchester. The 17-month-old boy was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary on Thursday evening, before being transferred to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where his condition is described as critical.