Princess Cruises confirmed that one of its ships recovered five bodies from the water during a voyage in Europe this month.
The Sapphire Princess changed course on April 21 after crew members spotted an orange inflatable life jacket in the water while sailing en route to Cartagena, Spain, according to a company statement.
The vessel deployed its Fast Rescue Boat to investigate and ultimately recovered five deceased individuals. The ship’s crew coordinated the response with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center.
The individuals were not passengers or crew members aboard the Sapphire Princess, the company said.
“We extend our sincere condolences for this loss and are grateful to our crew for their swift response and efforts to render assistance,” Princess Cruises said in a statement.
The Sapphire Princess departed from Civitavecchia, Italy, on April 19 for a 14-day voyage to Copenhagen, Denmark, according to cruise tracking site CruiseMapper.
Further details about the identities of the individuals or the circumstances surrounding their deaths were not immediately available.