Hundreds Fall Ill On Royal Caribbean Cruise From Fort Lauderdale

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Hundreds of passengers aboard Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas fell sick with a gastrointestinal illness during a five-night cruise, multiple media outlets reported. Royal Caribbean told CNN and USA Today that 332 cases were reported.

Company spokesman Owen Torres told CNN about 6 percent of the more than 5,000 passengers and crew on the ship fell ill. The ship left Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on Monday bound for Haiti and Jamaica. It returned on Saturday.

Ship doctors treated the afflicted passengers with over-the-counter drugs, the company told WPLG-TV. Crewmembers also sanitized the ship to prevent the illness from spread spreading, the station said.

Victoria Nolan of Genesee, New York, told the outlet she and six of her family members fell ill during the trip.

The cause of the illness wasn't immediately known.

The ship is slated to depart Port Everglades again on Thursday for another cruise.

A message left with Royal Caribbean wasn't immediately returned.

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