A violent altercation broke out on a ferry in Wexford on Tuesday evening following the discovery of a woman's body in a toilet. Gardai are currently investigating "all the circumstances" around her untimely death.
A man has been arrested as part of the investigation and is detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at a Garda station in the Eastern Region
Sources say that the man was arrested in the toilets where the woman was discovered and was taken into custody right there and then. It is understood the fight kicked off as folks reacted to the grim find, while gardai were still grilling witnesses late into the night to piece together what unfolded.
Emergency services and Gardai were alerted shortly after 5pm and came aboard the vessel, which remained stationed in the Wexford harbour throughout the night. In the face of the onboard chaos, the captain of the ferry, arriving from Fishguard in Wales, issued a distress signal.
Response units including armed Gardai and the public order unit promptly made their way to the scene. Details from sources mentioned a substantial Garda presence, effectively putting the port into lockdown, joined by a considerable turnout of National Ambulance Service personnel, who allied with the Gardai to secure a "ring of steel" around the port, reports the Irish Mirror.
A witness described the situation as "extremely shocking" following an alleged altercation between individuals on a ferry. In confirming a crime scene, Gardai clarified the state of affairs with "A crime scene has been declared. While gardai conduct enquiries on board, there are no public safety issues at this time."
Interviews with passengers and crew are anticipated as part of the ongoing investigation.
The Garda spokesperson added, "The scene has been preserved for technical and forensic examination. The Office of the State Pathologist and local Coroner have been notified."
A postmortem examination will be conducted, and its findings will determine the course of the investigation. A Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed to lead the investigation, and a Family Liaison Officer has been assigned to support the deceased's family.
The incident resulted in the cancellation of two sailings. A Stena Line spokesperson confirmed the incident, stating, "Stena Line can confirm that an incident occurred this afternoon on the 14.00 sailing from Fishguard to Rosslare."
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