London — British media reports say six people have been assaulted onboard a P&O cruise ship after a passenger dressed as a clown sparked a brawl.
Richard Gaisford, an ITV journalist who was onboard the cruise ship travelling from Bergen, Norway, to Southampton, England, said security staff rushed to the buffet restaurant onboard after the late-night melee.
He tweeted Saturday that the brawl apparently started when a "passenger dressed as a clown" upset a group of passengers.
A P&O Cruises spokesman said all passengers have disembarked from the Britannia ship and police are investigating.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/POCruises?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pocruisesBritannia left staff who intervened injured, as passengers used furniture and plates as weapons. Witnesses told me they were so frightened they had to hide, as family groups fought.
— Richard Gaisford (@richardgaisford)
The BBC quoted Hampshire Police as saying that six people were assaulted in the incident, which took place in the early hours of Friday. Police said two people were arrested.
The violence occurred on the final leg of a week long cruise to Norway’s fjords. I became aware of trouble when officers made an emergency tannoy at 2AM for security staff to rush to the 16th floor restaurant. I went too and found passengers shocked by what they’d seen.
— Richard Gaisford (@richardgaisford) July 27, 2019
One witness, part of a group involved in the trouble, explained to staff that things kicked off when another passenger appeared dressed as a clown. This upset one of their party because they’d specifically booked a cruise with no fancy dress. It led to a violent confrontation.
— Richard Gaisford (@richardgaisford) July 27, 2019
Britannia left Bergen at 1430 on Thursday, the violence occurred 12 hours later after a black-tie evening. It followed an afternoon of ‘patriotic’ partying on deck, with large amounts of alcohol being consumed by many guests. pic.twitter.com/zQcEXGDJeg
— Richard Gaisford (@richardgaisford) July 27, 2019
The buffet area was immediately sealed off as medical teams went to help the injured. Staff told me they’d never experienced anything like it and those behind the violence were confined to a cabin for the last day of the cruise, waiting for police here in Southampton.
— Richard Gaisford (@richardgaisford) July 27, 2019
The ship arrived back in its home Port this morning. It will depart on a Mediterranean cruise later today.
— Richard Gaisford (@richardgaisford) July 27, 2019