On RC's Mariner of the Seas vessel, the 42-year-old passenger tumbled from the 10th deck, plummeting approximately 27 nautical miles south of Punta Cana. Promptly responding to the incident, the crew swiftly initiated a rescue mission to locate and retrieve the fallen individual.
Watch the video:
From Fox 35:
Passengers were outside on their balconies with binoculars trying to find the person in the water.
"We did have reports of a person overboard," said the ship’s captain over an announcement in a video sent to FOX 35 News.
The cruise turned into a crisis for passengers enjoying a vacation on the water.
"After we saw the life rafts or the life preservers and the smoke – I was like, someone just died," said Matthew Kuhn who’s on the cruise with his family.
He watched the ordeal unfold from his balcony after checking on his family to make sure his kids were safe.
"I think it was amazing to see everyone was on their balcony. Everyone was trying to help, and the crew was very receptive to everyone," he added.
Boats searched the seas and ended up finding the missing person still alive who the U.S. Coast Guard identified as a 42-year-old U.S. citizen. The Coast Guard shared a statement on the rescue with FOX 35.
"Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan received a report from the Cruise Ship Mariner of the Seas at approximately 5:44 p.m. Sunday that the ship’s crew had rescued a female passenger, 42, U.S. citizen, who had gone overboard.," the statement read. "The cruise ship was transiting approximately 27 nautical miles south of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic when the incident occurred and was en route to Willemstad, Curaçao."
The passenger was recovered alive and reported to be in good health, after reportedly falling into the water from the tenth deck of the ship, the Coast Guard said.
While this had to be a terrifying ordeal for the woman who fell overboard, can you image the stress of the fellow passengers on board?
I personally would be scarred for life if I saw someone fall from a ship and would certainly avoid cruises for the foreseeable future.
