• One passenger died after a "rogue wave" struck a cruise ship sailing for Antarctica.
  • Four others had "non-life-threatening injuries," Viking said in a press release.
  • Rogue waves are unpredictable, rare, and dangerous. 

A "rogue wave" hit a Viking cruise ship heading towards Antarctica — resulting in the death of one passenger and the injury of four others.

A sudden and large wave hit the cruise ship near Ushuaia, Argentina, on Tuesday at 10:40 p.m. local time — causing slight damage to the Viking Polaris, a 665-foot-long vessel, a Thursday press release from Viking said. 

The rogue wave shattered several windows aboard the ship with glass fatally striking a 62-year-old woman, according to CBS. Four other passengers had "non-life-threatening injuries," according to the press release.

"It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident. We have notified the guest's family and shared our deepest sympathies," the press release said. 

Viking is working to get passengers and crew members back home, the release added. The ship's next departure in the region, scheduled for December 5-17 and called the "Antarctic Explorer," has been canceled, according to the press release.

"We wondered if we hit an iceberg. And there are no icebergs out here, but that's how it felt," Suzie Gooding, a passenger on the ship, told WRAL News. "Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking."

Rogue waves, also referred to as "freak waves," "killer waves," and "extreme storm waves," can be unpredictable, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NOAA says the exact causes of the waves are still being researched but adds that rogue waves are both rare and dangerous — sometimes appearing as "walls of water" double the size of the waves in the area. 

 

Viking did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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