Royal Caribbean crew member 'stabs colleague then jumps overboard to his death'

Authorities in the Bahamas have said a Royal Caribbean cruise crew member jumped overboard to his death after stabbing another crew member on the ship.

The horrific stabbing is alleged to have happened on Thursday July 24 shortly before 7:30pm local time. A 35-year-old South African man who worked on the ship allegedly stabbed a 28-year-old South African woman several times onboard the Icon of the Seas, the Royal Bahamas Police Force toldNBC News.

The ship was reportedly in the waters off the coast of San Salvador Island in the Bahamas at the time. The man then reportedly fled the scene of the stabbing and jumped overboard, police said.

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The man was later found dead by onboard medical staff. Police confimed the woman suffered stab wounds to her upper body but is in stable condition.

The two crew members, who have not been named, were involved in "a personal dispute," a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told NBC News. The spokesperson said: "One of the crew members was injured, was attended to by the onboard medical team, and she is now in stable condition.

"Unfortunately, the other crew member is deceased after he went overboard and was recovered in a search and rescue operation."

Neither of the crew members have been identified. An autopsy will take place to determine the man's cause of death.

After the incident, the ship reportedly dropped life preservers into the water near where the man fell to mark his location and aid in his rescue. Shortly thereafter, a rescue boat was deployed, WSVN reported, and the man's body was pulled from the sea.

The ship had been en route to the Bahamas' Coco Cay at the time of the incident, and it continued its planned trip itinerary afterward. It's scheduled to return to Miami on Saturday, the outlet reported.

The Icon of the Seas is the world's largest cruise ship. It has 20 decks (18 guest decks) and has 2,350 international crew members. It was built by Meyer Turku in Turku, Finland and measures 1196 feet (364 meters) long and 219 feet (66 meters) wide.

It has a gross tonnage of 250,800 and can carry up to 7,600 passengers at maximum capacity. It has dozens of restaurants to bars to chose from and has lots of activities to do, including; laser tag, mini golf, sports courts, an escape room a theatre and much more.

The Mirror has contacted Royal Caribbean Cruises and Royal Bahamas Police Force for comment.