A woman died on Monday after falling from a cruise ship balcony of a Carnival Cruise ship in California.
Carnival Cruise Line confirmed the death of a Carnival Firenze guest in a statement to Global News, adding that the unidentified woman fell from the balcony of her stateroom early Monday morning and landed on a deck below.
The woman was travelling with her family, who alerted the ship’s crew, according to the statement provided to Global News.
“Carnival’s Care Team is supporting the guest’s family, and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their loved ones,” spokesperson Julie Leonardi said.
“As is customary following these kinds of incidents, law enforcement was on board while the ship was in Catalina Island on Monday to collect information,” the statement said. “The family is now off the ship and has returned home.”
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The Carnival Firenze sails to the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada/New England, Caribbean, Mexico and South America. It can hold up to 4,162 guests and 1,425 crew members, according to the website.
The Carnival Cruise Line has recently made headlines for the death of Anna Kepner, 18, who died aboard a Carnival cruise ship last year.
Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother pleaded not guilty and waived his appearance at a hearing in Miami federal court last week on charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse in her death.
Timothy Hudson was indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury on April 13 in the death of Kepner, whose body was found under a bed in a Carnival Horizon room that she was sharing with him and another teen during a family trip in November 2025.
According to court records, Hudson was travelling aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon with Kepner and other family members on or about Nov. 6 to 7, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida said in a press release.
“During that time, while the ship was in international waters en route to Miami, T.H. allegedly sexually assaulted and intentionally killed Kepner. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office later determined the cause of death to be mechanical asphyxiation.”
Mechanical asphyxia is when an object or physical force stops someone from breathing.
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging serious offenses that allegedly occurred aboard a vessel in international waters. We will present the evidence in court and pursue this case with professionalism and care. As in every case, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Kepner’s stepbrother was initially charged as a juvenile on Feb. 2. The case remained sealed until U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered it transferred for adult prosecution.
Hudson faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
— With files from The Associated Press
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