Photo: LOIC VENANCE / AFP / Getty Images
Cruise passengers found themselves stranded on the ship amid an outbreak of a stomach virus. Officials in the island nation of Mauritius refused to let the Norwegian Dawn dock after more than a dozen people reported being sick with a stomach ailment.
Local authorities said the ship posed a potential health risk and ordered passengers to undergo additional testing before they would be allowed to disembark.
According to the BBC, one passenger claimed they overheard the captain say there was a cholera outbreak.
There are more than 2,100 passengers on the ship, along with an additional 1,000 crew members. Most of the passengers were scheduled to wrap up their trip on Sunday (February 25), while 2,200 new passengers were expected to board.
“Due to additional testing being required by local authorities before being allowed entry, the government of Mauritius has delayed disembarkation for the current cruise and embarkation for the next cruise by two days,” Norwegian Cruise Lines said in a statement.
Officials said they expect the cruise ship to be cleared to dock by Tuesday.