A teacher aboard the Royal Beau Rivage cruise ship has died, following a crash with another vessel on Sunday.
According to People magazine, the December 21 incident happened on the Nile River, near the Egyptian city of Luxor, as the vessel and another cruise ship, the Opera, collided.
The impact caused 47-year-old Italian teacher Denise Ruggeri, who had been traveling with her husband, to fall inside her cabin, puncturing her lungs.
Other passengers were thrown overboard, and several cabins were destroyed, according to L’Unione Sarda.
The collision reportedly happened at sunset as the Royal Beau Rivage captain attempted a “sudden, sharp maneuver,” while the ships passed through a lock on the river.
The Maritime Executive reports the captain’s license has since been suspended, citing the Egypt’s General Authority for River Transport.
The captain “violated international river navigation rules, which grant right of way to vessels traveling with the current,” Nova.News reports.
Rueggerio, of Cagnano Amiterno, worked as an educator in Pizzoli.
“It is dreadful to think of a young life lost like that, at a time when she should have been happy,” said Iside Di Martino, the mayor of Cagnano Amiterno, said.
“Denise had gone there on holiday to admire the beauty of all those places. We face very difficult days ahead. I know her and her family. Everyone knows everyone in this village. Her father was once deputy mayor.
“Denise was known by so many of the children here – she taught in a private infants’ school in the nearby village of Pizzoli.”
An investigation continues. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Denise Ruggeri/Facebook]
