A two-year-old child is fighting for their life after ‘falling several metres’ on board a cruise ship in Madeira.

The toddler, whose nationality has not been disclosed but has been described locally as a ‘foreign national’, was stabilised at the scene before being rushed to hospital.

The incident happened this morning when the cruise liner was moored in the Madeiran capital, Funchal.

Portuguese press said the youngster had suffered a fall of between 10 and 13 feet.

The boy’s fall took place on board the Mein Schiff 7, a Malta-flagged ship which was built in 2024 and carries nearly 3,000 passengers.

It is currently on a seven-day round trip, which began in Gran Canaria on April 20 and is due to finish on the same island next Monday.

Sources at Dr Nelio Mendonca Hospital in Funchal have told local press the toddler’s injuries are ‘very serious’.

An internal investigation into what happened has been launched.

The incident took place on board the Mein Schiff 7, a Malta-flagged ship which carries nearly 3,000 passengers.

The ship was docked in the port of Funchal in Madeira when the child had to be rushed to hospital

Red Cross officials and a ‘rapid intervention’ medical team rushed to board the ship after the alarm was first raised.

The company managing Madeira’s ports confirmed a child had been transported to Dr Nelio Mendonca Hospital in Funchal after an incident on board the cruise ship while it was docked at the city’s port.

It did not release any information on the child’s age or nationality or go into any detail about what had happened.

The statement it released said: ‘The Administration of the Ports of the Autonomous Region of Madeira [APRAM] became aware of an incident on board the ship Mein Schiff 7 involving a child.

‘The incident occurred within the ship’s jurisdiction area.’

‘The Regional Integrated Medical Emergency System was activated, with support and assessment carried out on site by the Rapid Intervention Medical Team (EMIR), and the child was transported to Dr Nelio Mendonça Hospital’s A&E department.’

Shortly before its arrival, Funchal Port officials confirmed the ship’s arrival in a post on social media.

They wrote: ‘The Port of Funchal is welcoming two cruise ships this Wednesday, bringing close to 4,000 passengers and 2,00 crew members.

‘Mein Schiff 7, operated by TUI Cruises and handled by JFM Shipping, was the first to arrive for a 38-hour call with an overnight stay, carrying 2,936 passengers and 1,037 crew members.

‘The vessel arrived from Las Palmas and will depart on Thursday at 2pm towards La Palma, as part of a one-week Cruise Atlantic Islands (CAI) itinerary.

‘This is its final call of the season in Madeira, with a return scheduled for November.’