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Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas and a Carnival Cruise ship anchored off Grand Cayman Island.MyLoupe/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
A passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship fell overboard from the liner’s 10th deck.
The 42-year-old woman was miraculously rescued after a dramatic rescue that lasted nearly an hour.
“The passenger was found alive and is reported to be in good health,” the US Coast Guard said.
A passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship fell overboard from the liner’s 10th deck in the waters more than 30 miles off the coast of the Dominican Republic — but miraculously survived after a dramatic, nearly hour-long rescue.
The chaotic incident, which left other travelers aboard the Mariner of the Seas ship with pins and needles until the 42-year-old woman was finally rescued, unfolded Sunday as the ship headed for the island of Curacao, according to the United States. . Coast Guard.
The cruise crew members quickly launched a lifeboat to search for the woman, a US citizen, and managed to find and return her safely on board in an ordeal lasting about 45 minutes, witnesses said.
“The passenger was found alive and reportedly in good health, after reportedly falling into the water from (the) 10th deck of the ship,” U.S. Coast Guard Commander Ricardo Castrodad told Insider in a statement Wednesday.
The woman was taken to the cruise ship’s medical facility after the incident and later transferred to a hospital in Willemstad, Curaçao, according to Castrodad, who added that “the cruise ship had not requested a medical evacuation of the passenger.”
The Coast Guard, which is investigating the circumstances that led to the passenger’s overboard, said guards at the agency in Sector San Juan received a report around 5:45 p.m. Sunday that the ship’s crew had rescued a woman who had gone overboard.
“The cruise ship was sailing approximately 27 nautical miles south of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, when the incident occurred and was en route to Willemstad, Curacao,” Castrodad said.
Fellow travelers aboard the 15-deck cruise ship watched in horror as they believed the woman would not be found after she went overboard.
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“After we saw the life rafts or the life jackets and the smoke, I felt like someone had just died,” cruise ship passenger Matthew Kuhn told FOX 35.
“To go out, she probably won’t be found… versus holy crap, they found her, and she’s alive” was a whirlwind, Kuhn said.
Kuhn’s wife, Amiee Kuhn, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that people on board the ship watching from the balconies erupted in applause when they saw that the woman had been rescued.
“She was sitting up when they brought her back and the whole ship cheered, and then they arrived and confirmed it was a successful rescue mission,” said Amiee Kuhn.
Royal Caribbean told Insider in a statement: “The ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities and began searching for the guest.”
“Fortunately, the guest has successfully recovered and has been brought on board. Our care team is now providing assistance and support to them and their traveling party. Due to privacy concerns for the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share,” Royal Caribbean said.
Falling overboard on a cruise ship usually doesn’t end in a success story.
According to a report from the Cruise Lines International Association, there were 212 overboard incidents between 2009 and 2019 and only 48 or 28.2% of victims were successfully rescued.
Read the original article Insider
