British police have opened a homicide investigation following the death of a man on an MSC Cruises' ship over the weekend.
A 60-year-old man died aboard MSC Virtuosa at roughly 8:30 p.m. on May 3 after "an altercation," the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary told USA TODAY. According to the emailed statement, the ship departed from Southampton at 6 p.m..
A 57-year-old man from Exeter, England, was arrested for suspected murder and is in custody, police said. Authorities did not identify the victim or the suspect.
"We want to reassure you that this appears to be an isolated incident on-board, and we want to thank the crew for their cooperation and assistance with our enquiries," the senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Matt Gillooly, said in a statement. "If anyone who was on-board has information that could assist, please contact Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary on (non-emergency line) 101 with reference 44250193676."
Specialist officers are supporting the victim's next of kin. MSC said relevant authorities were contacted following "an incident" and the cruise line is cooperating with the investigations.
"We are providing full support to those impacted and thoughts are with the family and friends at this difficult time," the company told USA TODAY in an emailed statement.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.