Pair released following mass brawl on P&O cruise ship

Two people who were arrested over a mass brawl abroad a cruise ship have been released from custody, the BBC reports.

Police had arrested a 43-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman from the English town of Chigwell on suspicion of assault after an alcohol-fueld fight on P&O's Britannia left six people injured. At the time of the scuffle, the ship was on its way to Southhampton following a week-long trip Norway's fjords.

The incident allegedly took place last Friday morning, according to ITV's "Good Morning Britain" correspondent Richard Gaisford, who was aboard the ship.

"One witness, part of a group involved in the trouble, explained to staff that things kicked off when another passenger appeared dressed as a clown," Gaisford tweeted. "This upset one of their party because they’d specifically booked a cruise with no fancy dress. It led to a violent confrontation."

The brawlers allegedly used plates and furniture as weapons during the fight, which injured three men and three women and left them with severe bruising and cuts.

"The buffet area was immediately sealed off as medical teams went to help the injured," Gaisford wrote. "Staff told me they’d never experienced anything like it and those behind the violence were confined to a cabin for the last day of the cruise, waiting for police here in Southampton."

"'There was blood everywhere,'" Gaisford added. "Violent late night brawl in the buffet onboard @pocruises Britannia left staff who intervened injured, as passengers used furniture and plates as weapons. Witnesses told me they were so frightened they had to hide, as family groups fought."

P&O, however, denied there was ever a clown aboard and maintained that they "do not tolerate disruptive behavior."

Though the 43-year-old man and 41-year-old woman were released, they remain under investigation, BBC notes.