Around 100 cruise passengers injured after ship gets caught in rough weather

Passengers on Saga Cruises’ Spirit of Adventure cruise ship were injured after getting caught in a storm over the weekend.

Around 100 of the roughly 1,000 guests on board got hurt after the ship’s propulsion safety system was activated while crossing the Bay of Biscay on Saturday, causing the ship to veer to the left and stop. The area, located off the coast of France and Spain, is notorious for its rough seas.

“The ship remained safe at all times, but due to the impact of the storm some guests sustained injuries,” a Saga Cruises spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “All were treated immediately by onboard medical staff.”

The ship held its position to wait out the conditions. "It was quite frightening," passenger Jan Bendall told the BBC. "I'm not somebody who frightens easily ... it was quite dramatic."

Most of the injuries were minor, but five people were more badly hurt and required treatment in the vessel’s onboard medical facilities. The ship was wrapping up a two-week, round-trip cruise from Portsmouth, England, to the Canary Islands that departed on Oct. 24, according to CruiseMapper.

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“While the weather is clearly beyond our control, we want to offer our sincere apologies to all those affected who are now safely back, having sailed home in calmer seas,” the spokesperson added. Saga Cruises will contact guests about compensation.

The incident comes after a Carnival Cruise Line ship was similarly rocked by rough weather on its way back to the U.S. during a Bahamas cruise in May.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Around 100 cruise passengers injured after ship hits rough weather