Hundreds fall sick with stomach illness on Royal Caribbean cruise

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship returned to Florida after hundreds of passengers contracted a gastrointestinal illness, the media reported.

During the five-night cruise, 332 cases of the illness were reported, Owen Torres, a spokesman for Royal Caribbean told CNN in a statement on Saturday.

He stressed that it was a small percentage -



5.99 per cent - of the more than 5,000 passengers and crew onboard the ship, Independence of the Seas.

"Those affected by the short-lived illness were treated by our ship's doctors with over-the-counter medication," Torres said, "and we hope all our guests feel better quickly".

It is not known what caused the illness.