Passengers Tossed as Vessel Gets Rocked by Rough Waters [WATCH]

Sixteen people were injured after a luxury cruise ship encountered rough waters and tilted sharply during a voyage near New Zealand.

The incident occurred on February 25 aboard Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess while sailing through Milford Sound on New Zealand’s South Island.

Passengers and crew members were caught off guard when the vessel suddenly listed 14 degrees to its side.

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The tilt caused chaos inside the ship as passengers struggled to maintain balance and objects were thrown across rooms.

Footage from the ship’s kitchen captured crew members gripping onto counters as tools, dish racks, and other equipment crashed to the floor.

Food and broken dishes covered the galley floor, while elsewhere on the ship, pools of water spilled onto decks as one of the vessel’s pools overflowed due to the abrupt shift.

Cruise Ship The Crown Princess “tilts” after being hit by strong winds Milford Sound New Zealand pic.twitter.com/q5UWOE6Zhk

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According to reports from 9 News, 13 passengers and three crew members sustained minor injuries.

One passenger described how he was caught off guard during his usual walk around the ship.

“Walking along doing my lap and all of a sudden the boat was on an angle,” he told the outlet.

Another passenger recounted the moment tables and chairs slid across the room.

“The tables and chairs went sliding across the room, and a girl went sliding on her chair over towards the pool,” the passenger said.

The unexpected tilt occurred as the ship was hit by a wind gust reaching 86 mph, according to the ship’s captain.

A passenger dining on the sixth floor, Martin Wise, recalled sensing the vessel’s movement before the full impact was felt.

“I felt the boat starting to slant and tip. Then it leant over quite a bit and really started moving along at a high speed and we could see the sea looking very high out of the restaurant windows,” Wise told Stuff.

He said the chaotic moment lasted about 40 seconds, during which he heard crashing sounds from the kitchen area.

“On a frightening scale, I’d put it at 8.5 to 10,” Wise said. “This is our seventh Princess cruise and nothing’s ever happened like this before.”

The captain later reassured passengers that the ship was struck by a strong wind gust, which temporarily increased its speed and caused the tilt.

According to Wise, the incident did not deter him from taking future cruises.

Elsewhere on the ship, shops and display cases were damaged, with broken glass and merchandise, including designer handbags, scattered across the floor.

The Crown Princess, a 19-year-old vessel, can hold up to 3,080 passengers and 1,200 crew members.

Ticket prices for the cruise range from $1,000 to over $5,000 per person, depending on room size.

Despite the dramatic events, Princess Cruises confirmed that the ship sustained no structural damage. “The safety of the ship was never compromised,” the cruise line told 9 News.

The incident occurred on the third day of a 14-day round-trip voyage from Sydney.

The Crown Princess is expected to return to Sydney on March 8 after completing its route around New Zealand, according to tracking data from CruiseMapper.

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