Footage captured the moment passengers charged at one another at 8am on Monday, June 22 after the Carnival Conquest ship docked at Port Miami, Florida after a trip to the Bahamas
Sixteen passengers have been banned from Carnival Cruise Line following a violent brawl that erupted while holidaymakers queued in a customs line.
Video footage captured the shocking moment passengers launched themselves at each other at 8am on Monday, 22 June, after the Carnival Conquest vessel docked at Port Miami, Florida, having returned from a trip to the Bahamas.
Two women are alleged to have ignited the confrontation. One, clad in a black strapless dress, ducked beneath a queue divider and began throwing punches at another woman wearing polka dot pyjamas.
A third woman, sporting a yellow and white maxi-dress, then waded into the melee and seized one of the women by the hair.
Several other men and women joined the fracas as US Customs and Border Protection officers desperately attempted to restore order.
Suitcases and personal belongings were flung across the room during the chaotic scenes. At one point, a man was filmed brandishing a stanchion above his head as onlookers screamed in terror.
The brawl was eventually subdued after several minutes.
What triggered the confrontation between the two families remains unclear.
Nobody was arrested after both parties declined to press charges.
Following the incident, 16 individuals have been placed on Carnival Cruise Lines’ “Do Not Sail List”, a company spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Mail.
“The incident occurred in the debarkation area under the authority of US Customs and Border Patrol [sic],” the company stated.
“We are appreciative of law enforcement’s swift response and handling of the matter. We do not tolerate such behaviour.”
This incident follows just months after an altercation aboard another Carnival cruise vessel, where two women allegedly struck each other as the ship made its way back to Mobile, Alabama from Nassau, Bahamas.
Both individuals are now facing federal court citations for simple assault and stood before a judge in early May.
US magistrate Judge Bert Milling Jr informed the women their case would be dropped provided they avoid arrest or contact with one another for three months, according to Fox 10.
A final ruling on that matter is scheduled for 12 August.
