At least 3 dead, 13 missing after boat accident off St Kitts, P&O Britannia helping search

   March 30, 2023 ,   Accidents

A P&O UK liner with British tourists onboard is helping search for passengers of a boat that sank in the Caribbean off the coast of St Kitts.

At least 3 people have died and 13 are missing after the boat capsized.

P&O Cruises' ship Britannia is assisting the efforts of the coastguard.

Reports say 32 people had been onboard the stricken vessel, with 16 rescued. The 30 ft (9 m) boat had been "dangerously overcrowded" when it started sinking.

The boat was en route from Antigua to St Thomas USVI. It got into trouble ~12 nautical miles off the coast of St Kitts and was spotted at ~3 am by a passing luxury yacht. Terrified travelers were seen clinging to the edge of the boat as the rescue was underway.

According to a spokesman for P&O UK, they were "working with the coastguard to lead the search and rescue operation with another ship."

Antigua officials are leading the search for those still missing. Most of the rescued are from Cameroon.

The nationalities of those who died have not yet been released.

P&O Britannia cruise ship

The accident comes just hours after reports that a British dad, a P&O Britannia passenger, died during a snorkeling expedition on St Kitts.

The unnamed man died during the trip after arriving on the island Monday morning, March 27th.

Britannia's current cruise is 14 days from Bridgetown to Southampton England (Mar 24-Apr 7). 

For more P&O Britannia incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.