Man's Death Forces Ship Back To Miami

The Norwegian Cruise Lines Ship, EPIC, was forced to return to the Port of Miami late Saturday after a passenger died just miles off the Florida coast.

An FBI investigation revealed that a 21-year-old man had an allergic reaction to something he ate causing a fatal heart attack when the ship was 40 miles off the coast of Miami.

Passengers were told there was a medical emergency on board the Epic just hours after it had departed Miami for a 7-day cruise to the Caribbean.

The Miami Herald reported that passengers heard a code alpha over the intercom and the paging of three passengers with the same last name to go to customer service immediately. Just 15 minutes later an announcement came on that the ship was heading back to Miami.

Around 2 a.m. another passenger posted that a body had been removed from the ship and placed in a van.

The ship returned to sea at about 2:45 a.m.

Norwegian Cruise Lines issued the following statement Sunday:

"While the ship was approximately 40 nautical miles from Miami, a guest on board suffered a heart attack and passed away. All local authorities were notified and some met the ship upon arrival. Norwegian Cruise Line extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the guest's family during this difficult time.''

Photo Courtesy of NCL