Mass brawl breaks out on cruise ship with passengers 'using furniture and plates as weapons'

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At least six people were assaulted when a late-night brawl erupted on board a cruise ship.

Families fled as passengers reportedly used furniture and plates as weapons on board the P&O vessel, which had left Bergen in Norway just 12 hours earlier.

Three men and three women were assaulted during the fight, according to Hampshire Police.

“A number of injuries were suffered including significant bruising and cuts,” a force spokesperson added.

“Two people, a 43-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman, both from Chigwell, Essex, have been arrested on suspicion of assault and are currently in police custody.”

The brawl is believed to have begun on the company’s Britannia cruise ship during the early hours of 26 July.

At the time the vessel was travelling from Bergen to Southampton.

“Violent late night brawl in the buffet...left staff who intervened injured, as passengers used furniture and plates as weapons,” said Richard Gaisford, an ITV reporter for Good Morning Britain who was on board the ship at the time.

“The violence occurred on the final leg of a week long cruise to Norway’s fjords.

“I became aware of trouble when officers made an emergency tannoy at 2AM for security staff to rush to the 16th floor restaurant,” he wrote on Twitter, adding that one witness told him “there was blood everywhere”.

“The buffet area was immediately sealed off as medical teams went to help the injured,” he said.

Detectives are investigating the cause of brawl.

Earlier reports that the fight began over a man dressed in a clown costume are false, a spokesperson for Hampshire Police added.

“Following an incident on board Britannia on Thursday evening we can confirm that all guests have now disembarked and the matter is now in the hands of the local police,” a P&O cruises spokesperson said.

Anyone with information, including phone footage of the incident, should call Hampshire Constabulary on 101 quoting 44190262605.

Additional reporting by agencies