Brawl breaks out between dozens on Carnival cruise ship

(NewsNation) — Dozens of people were involved in a violent brawl on a Carnival Magic Cruise ship early Tuesday morning, causing the U.S. Coast Guard to step in.

Shortly before the Carnival Magic was expected to arrive in the New York-New Jersey area, the fight broke out on the ship’s dance floor around 5:20 a.m., according to NewsNation local affiliate PIX11. Police say the fight began between two people on the dance floor, then escalated as others quickly joined in.

By the time the brawl was broken up, there had been anywhere from 40 to 60 people involved. Cruise officials called the U.S. Coast Guard for an escort back to the dock. New York Police Department officers and paramedics were there when the ship arrived.

Passengers who witnessed the fight say it happened over cheating allegations. Theresa James, a travel agent, told Fox News that beer bottles were smashed and a woman may have been cut.

The fight lasted about an hour, James said, and took the parties involved from the ship’s fifth floor to its first.

While she credited Carnival and its security team for acting quickly to manage the situation, James had harsher words for the guests involved, calling them “ignorant fools acting stupid,” Fox reported.

No serious injuries or were reported, and no arrests have been made.

“A number of guests were involved in an altercation in a nightclub. Thankfully no serious injuries were reported and our onboard security team intervened,” Carnival said in a statement. “The ship arrived as scheduled this morning and shoreside law enforcement authorities were notified and met the ship to interview suspects and witnesses and conduct an investigation.”