A total of 12 MSC Cruises passengers were among those killed – at least 20 at the time of writing – in the Tunis terrorist attack, the line has confirmed.
The line’s ship MSC Splendida was in La Goulette, Tunis, at the time of the shootings together with Costa Fascinosa. Three passengers from the Costa ship were also killed in the massacre, while a further eight were injured and two remain unaccounted for.
Those killed in the attack on the Bardo Museum in the Tunisian capital include British woman Sally Adey together with two Colombians, three French, three Japanese, two Spanish and one Belgian.
Thirteen MSC Cruises passengers were injured – one Belgian, seven French, four Japanese and one South African, of which two are in serious condition.
A Spanish couple, a pregnant woman and her partner escaped the massacre by hiding within the museum. The woman was immediately taken to hospital where she the child are reported to be well, according to the cruise line.
MSC Cruises executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago met the injured and their families in Tunis to ensure they are all receiving the necessary assistance.
He also met Tunisian tourism minister Salma Elloumi Rekik, who confirmed that a total of 20 people died in the attack, seven of whom have yet to be identified.
As a result of the attack, Costa and MSC confirmed they were both dropping Tunis as a port of call.
MSC confirmed that Splendida left the port of La Goulette at 6am this morning en route to Barcelona where it is expected to arrive tomorrow.
“MSC Cruises is present on site with its crises team in order to continue to provide key assistance on the ground to MSC Splendida’s guests who were involved in the tragic events and needing assistance,” the line said in an update.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in an updated travel advisory: “There is a heightened security presence in the centre of the city of Tunis. You should be especially vigilant at this time and follow the advice of Tunisian security authorities and your tour operator.”
Tourism is a key sector of Tunisia’s economy, with large numbers of Europeans holidaying in its coastal resorts. A total of 424,707 Britons visited Tunisia last year.