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Killed on B.C.-bound cruise

A 39-year-old woman died Tuesday on an Alaskan cruise in what was described as a domestic dispute.

A suspect was taken into custody, the FBI in Anchorage said late Wednesday, and charges are expected to be laid Thursday. 

Princess Cruises said the woman died Tuesday night on the Emerald Princess, which was carrying 3,400 passengers and 1,100 crew members on a weeklong trip that left Sunday from Seattle. The ship is scheduled to stop in Victoria Saturday evening, on its way back to Seattle. 

Few details about the case were released as investigators went about their work. Passengers were kept aboard the ship for much of the day Wednesday, prompting some grumbling.

"You feel sorry for the family but a lot of people had to wait," said Lloyd Barrows, a passenger from Alberta, Canada.

The Emerald Princess was diverted to Juneau because of the investigation. The ship arrived in Juneau early Wednesday, and passengers were kept on board for more than eight hours before they were allowed to disembark.

While on board, some scoped out their surroundings with binoculars or took pictures of the grey, rainy scenery, while others watched the comings-and-goings in the restricted-access area leading to the ship. Some waved to onlookers on shore.

Earlier, several people, including at least one child, were escorted by authorities off the vessel in separate groups. Some were wearing white and grey hooded sweat shirts, with hoods or umbrellas in some cases obscuring their faces.

The groups were whisked away in vehicles with dark-tinted windows that waited in a restricted area of the port..

The FBI said it is required to step in when such deaths occur in international or U.S. waters.



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