Australian authorities seized the Ruby Princess' black box after a coronavirus outbreak was linked to the cruise ship

• Australian authorities have seized the black box of the Ruby Princess cruise ship, according to an AFP report.
• After being allowed to disembark from the ship on March 19 in Sydney, Australia, Ruby Princess passengers have since been linked to hundreds of COVID-19 cases.
• The COVID-19 Cruise Tracker currently puts the ship at the Port of Kembla, and The Guardian reported that around 1,040 crew members remain onboard.
• Carnival Australia did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Australian police have raided the Ruby Princess, a Princess Cruises ship linked to a deadly outbreak of COVID-19.

According to AFP, New South Wales Police's criminal probe into Carnival centers around whether any laws were broken when around 2,700 Ruby Princess passengers were permitted to disembark from the ship in Sydney on March 19. Those passengers have since been linked to hundreds of COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths.

Princess Cruises is a subsidiary of the Carnival Corporation. Carnival Australia did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

AFP reported that officers donning personal protective gear seized the ship's black box on April 8. The ship is currently docked in Port Kembla, according to the COVID-19 Cruise Tracker.

Around 1,040 crew members remain onboard. The Guardian reported that Australian police officers will also be questioning Ruby Princess crew members onboard. Currently, around 200 crew members have symptoms of the coronavirus. So far, 18 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19.

"Police officers entered the Ruby Princess to gather evidence... ships have a black box very similar to international planes and that and other evidence has been seized," NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said, as reported by the AFP.

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