A passenger of the Royal Caribbean cruise line was extremely lucky in the misfortune: The woman was traveling on the “Mariner of the Seas” in the Caribbean when she fell into the sea from the tenth deck near the Dominican Republic – and was rescued after a search operation .
The incident happened last Sunday afternoon, as Royal Caribbean and the US Coast Guard told Fox 35 News. The “Mariner of the Seas” was about 27 nautical miles south of Punta Cana on the way to Willemstad, Curaçao, when the 42-year-old US citizen went overboard. Members of the ship’s crew immediately alerted the local authorities and started a rescue operation.
“We have reports of a person who fell overboard,” said the cruise giant’s captain over the loudspeaker. The sea was searched with boats. In addition, passengers of the “Mariner of the Seas” with binoculars would have stood on their balconies and tried to find the woman in the water.
“It was great to see everyone standing on their balconies. Everyone was trying to help,” the broadcaster quoted Matthew Kuhn, a cruise attendee. “When we saw the life rafts or the life jackets and the smoke, I thought someone just died.”
But after about 45 minutes, the search teams discovered the 42-year-old alive and in good health. Kuhn said he didn’t expect the passenger to be found alive and was surprised and glad he was wrong. His feelings jumped from “‘She probably won’t be found’ and ‘It’s a body recovery'” to “Oh my god, they found her and she’s alive.”
“Fortunately, the guest was successfully recovered and placed on board,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement. “Our care team is now offering help and support for the guest and their travel group. To protect the privacy of the guest and their family, we are unable to disclose any further details.”
And the Coast Guard stated: “The passenger was recovered alive and is in good health after reportedly falling into the water from the tenth deck of the ship.” The “Mariner of the Seas” did not request a medical evacuation of the 42-year-old from the authorities. The woman was housed in the cruise ship’s medical facility and later taken to the hospital in Willemstad for a check-up. The incident is now being investigated.
Quellen: Fox 35 News, NBC News, WFLA News
