A passenger died aboard the Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship, which arrived in Bermuda yesterday, and four passengers were reported sick upon arrival in what appear to be unrelated incidents.

At about 10am yesterday, The Royal Gazette was alerted to passengers not being allowed off the ship and that first responders had attended Heritage Wharf in Dockyard.

Although passengers began disembarking shortly after 10am, a crew member confirmed that there had been a medical issue and that the ship had not been cleared until about 9.40am.

A local resident, who asked not to be named, added that passengers usually start leaving the ship, which arrived at 7.30am, shortly after 8am and that she had heard unofficial reports that someone had died. By 11am, a Bulley-Graham-Rawlins Funeral Home van had arrived and tour guides began informing passengers who were upset over delays that someone had passed away aboard the ship.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health confirmed that four passengers had been taken ill.

“Health officers immediately arrived to assess the situation.

“Upon attending, they quickly realised that there was no cause for concern and passengers were allowed to disembark straight away,” she said.

“There were 5,200 people on-board and the number of ill people was well within normal levels expected for such a large group of people.”

Joe Beck, from Scranton, Pennsylvania, said he saw a passenger “on a stretcher, all covered in blankets” being taken away in an ambulance at about 9am.

Other passengers reported that there had been a drill in the morning, which caused the delays, while some suggested that there had been a clearance issue.

The delay affected the festivities of the Society of Colonial Wars, the majority of whose members arrived aboard the Norwegian Breakaway and who were scheduled to attend a welcome at City Hall at 10am.

The Norwegian Breakaway is one of the largest cruise ships in the world and is expected to call on Bermuda another 24 times this year. At 1,068ft in length, with 1,994 staterooms, she can accommodate 3,988 passengers at double occupancy. The ship arrives on Wednesday mornings at 7.30am and departs at 5pm on Fridays.