- Holland America said that two crew members died on board due to an accidental steam release.
- The incident happened on the Nieuw Amsterdam ship while in The Bahamas.
- The ship's captain "broke down crying" and held a moment of silence for the deceased crew members.
Cruise company Holland America has said that two unnamed crew members died on board due to "an accidental steam release in an engineering space."
A spokesperson for the company told Business Insider: "We regret to share that on Friday, March 22, while calling at Half Moon Cay, The Bahamas, there was an accidental steam release in an engineering space on board Nieuw Amsterdam, which sadly resulted in the death of two crew members."
Holland America said the Bahamas Maritime Authority and the Dutch Safety Board are investigating the incident.
"Safety is always our top priority, and we are working to understand what, if anything, can be learned from this tragic accident," the spokesperson said.
The ship's systems were reviewed and determined to be fully operable by independent surveyors of the Dutch government and confirmed by the US Coast Guard, Holland America said.
One of the ship's passengers, Laine Doss, told NBC News that she was on board when the captain announced the deaths on the ship's PA system.
"We were celebrating the last day of the cruise," she said, but then the mood became "extremely somber."
She said that the captain "broke down crying" and held a moment of silence for the deceased crew members.
Many events on board the ship were then cancel, she said.
Holland America said: "All of us at Holland America Line are deeply saddened by this event. We've been in contact with the families of both team members and are offering our support to them and to all of our crew at this difficult time."
The Nieuw Amsterdam has a crew of 929 and can carry 2,106 passengers.
Deaths on board cruise ships are rare — a total of 623 people were reported to have died on cruise ships between 2000 and 2019, of which 66 were crew members and 557 were passengers.