A passenger of Lamb of God's five-day Headbangers Boat cruise from Miami to the Bahamas is still missing after going overboard early this morning.
UPDATE (11/8, 10:46 a.m. ET): Lamb of God have addressed the tragedy in a lengthy statement posted to Instagram.
"It was shocking that a joyous occasion could so quickly turn tragic. While we don't know all of the specifics, we know every single person on that boat is part of our family, and we witnessed everyone onboard experience grief at the loss of one of our own," the band wrote. "We couldn't have been more proud of how the metal community on board rallied together to support each other and celebrate heavy metal in the only way we know how. This music community truly is just that — a community."
Norwegian Cruise Lines — owners and operators of the vessel, Norwegian Pearl — confirmed the tragic news in a statement to Rock Feed, writing, "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."
The spokesperson for the cruise line added, "The authorities have been notified and the United States Coast Guard search and rescue operation is underway. The investigation is ongoing, and we will share updates as appropriate. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this difficult time."
UPDATE (11/8, 10:46 a.m. ET): Lamb of God have addressed the tragedy in a lengthy statement posted to Instagram.
"It was shocking that a joyous occasion could so quickly turn tragic. While we don't know all of the specifics, we know every single person on that boat is part of our family, and we witnessed everyone onboard experience grief at the loss of one of our own," the band wrote. "We couldn't have been more proud of how the metal community on board rallied together to support each other and celebrate heavy metal in the only way we know how. This music community truly is just that — a community."
Norwegian Cruise Lines — owners and operators of the vessel, Norwegian Pearl — confirmed the tragic news in a statement to Rock Feed, writing, "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."
The spokesperson for the cruise line added, "The authorities have been notified and the United States Coast Guard search and rescue operation is underway. The investigation is ongoing, and we will share updates as appropriate. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this difficult time."
Metal Injection co-founder Frank Godla, who is aboard the boat, offered further insight into the situation from his eyewitness perspective.
"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," Godla wrote. "Roughly 20 minutes later, the captain made us aware a passenger went overboard and a search and rescue mission has begun. They made several more announcements over the next hours, and around 6 a.m., informed everyone the program is cancelled until 1 p.m."
At roughly 2 p.m., the captain reportedly went on to announce that, after nine hours of searching, there was no choice but to end the rescue mission and resume course to Miami, where the ship is scheduled to return tomorrow (November 4).
"There's a lot of confusion, and it's still unclear how much of the programming will change today," Godla continued. "It's a shame for this to happen to such a well behaved and gracious group of people celebrating the maiden voyage of what will be extreme metal's best festival on the seas."
In his decade of metal cruising, Godla said this voyage has "easily been my favourite experience yet."
Having set sail to the Bahamas beginning on October 31, the lineup for the inaugural edition of Headbangers Boat also featured Mastodon, Testament, Hatebreed, GWAR, Municipal Waste, Shadows Fall, God Forbid, Lacuna Coil, Gatecreeper, Fit for an Autopsy, Vio-Lence and more.