High Seas: Prefer Murder or Suicide?

We're not ones to fear-monger, but this story was surprising. Thursday's The Guardian ran a story about the numerous passenger disappearances from cruise ships over the past few years. It turns out that at least 30 people have simply vanished from cruise ships in the past four years.

Considering the large numbers of passengers on cruises annually, and, while very regrettable,30 is not a large number. What's shocking is how little is done to solve this disappearances or prevent them. Take the disappearance of a woman from a Celebrity Cruise in 2004. On the second day of the cruise, a steward told his boss that the woman's cabin hadn't been slept in. Apparently, nothing was done, and the steward continued to place chocolates on the bed each day, through the duration of the cruise. After the cruise was over, the woman's things were boxed up and removed from the room. And no one notified any authorities. It wasn't until her family made a missing persons report that any action was taken. The case is still not closed. Not surprising, considering how cold the trail would become..

Filed under: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America, Antarctica