LONDON—British media reports say six people have been assaulted on board a P&O cruise ship after a passenger dressed as a clown sparked a brawl. P&O has since clarified that there was no such passenger dressed in such gaudy attire aboard.
Richard Gaisford, an ITV journalist who was on board the cruise ship traveling from Bergen, Norway, to Southampton, England, said security staff rushed to the buffet restaurant onboard after the late-night melee.
He wrote on Twitter Saturday that the brawl apparently started when a “passenger dressed as a clown” upset a group of passengers.
A P&O Cruises spokesman said all passengers have disembarked from the Britannia ship and police are investigating.
Hampshire Police said according to the outlet: "There was no clown on board or involved in this incident. Officers are investigating following reports of a public order incident on board P&O's Britannia. If anyone has any information, including phone footage of the incident, they should call Hampshire Constabulary on 101 quoting 44190262605."
The BBC quoted Hampshire Police as saying that six people were assaulted in the incident, which took place in the early hours of Friday. Police said two people were arrested.
A 43-year-old man and 41-year-old woman, both from Chigwell, Essex, have been arrested for assault, the news outlet reported.
They were released from custody on Sunday, but both remain under investigation.
The cruise left to Southampton on Thursday, July 25, following a weeklong cruise to ports in Norway. The fight broke about approximately 12 hours after departing the dock, according to Gaisford, who said he became aware of the incident when a 2 a.m. announcement alerted security to go to the restaurant on the 16th floor.