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Lamb of God has issued a statement after a fan fell overboard during the band's Headbangers Boat Cruise.
According to Cruise Hive, an unnamed 41-year-old man reportedly fell off the Norwegian Pearl while the ship was traveling from the Bahamas to Miami, Florida.
"On the early morning of Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, Norwegian Pearl was notified that a 41-year-old male guest went overboard while the ship was sailing near the Bahamas on its way to Miami,” a spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line told The FADER. They added that authorities and the United States Coast Guard had already initiated a search and rescue operation, which was corroborated by Metal Sucks and Metal Injection CEO, Frank Godla, who was also aboard the inaugural metal cruise.
“Around 3:30 a.m. I was woken up by some really choppy waters and the boat making a hard u-turn that left me wondering what’s going on. Roughly 20 minutes later, the captain made us aware a passenger went overboard and a search and rescue mission has begun,” Godla recalled in a post about the incident. However, rescuers were unable to find the man after a 9-hour search, resulting in the boat continuing onto Miami.
“Everyone on board knows there was nothing easy about this, as the waters remained extremely choppy during the search,” Godla said. “Our thoughts are with our fallen metal brother and his friends and family.”
In response to the news, Lamb of God told fans that they were “deeply saddened to have learned that a member of our community was involved in a tragic incident,” before “sending love and light to [the man’s] family and loved ones." A representative for Lamb of God said the band had no further comment.
That said, a representative for Sixthman Productions — who organized the cruise — relayed that an "investigation is ongoing, and we will share updates as available."
They added, "Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this difficult time."
In addition to Lamb of God, the metal cruise also featured performances by metal bands like Mastodon, Gwar, Hatebreed, and Testament.