Cruise ship rescues stranded sailor and his cat in Gulf drama
A Carnival cruise ship crew spotted distress flares while sailing to Cozumel, Mexico, and rescued a stranded sailor and his cat at sea. Both were brought safely aboard and received care. FOX 26 spoke with two passengers who were on board the ship when the rescue occurred. (credit: Fox 26/Alan Loy)
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A passenger aboard a Carnival Cruise Line ship died this week after going overboard while the vessel was traveling from Celebration Key to Nassau, Bahamas.
The man, whose name has not been released, climbed over the balcony railing of his stateroom on the Carnival Liberty and jumped into the water, according to the cruise operator.
Crew members responded to the incident, initiating a search effort after the man plunged into the water, according to the cruise line.
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“Carnival confirmed on Wednesday that a male guest on Carnival Liberty apparently climbed over his stateroom balcony and jumped overboard as the ship was sailing from Celebration Key to Nassau,” Carnival said in a statement to Digital on Thursday morning.
“The Carnival Liberty crew responded quickly with a search effort and successfully retrieved him from the water, but he did not survive,” the statement continued.
A cruise passenger climbed over the balcony railing of his stateroom on the Carnival Liberty and jumped into the water, according to the company. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service/Getty Images)
“We are providing support to the guest’s family who were traveling with him, and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their loved ones.”
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The Carnival Liberty was sailing from New Orleans to the Bahamas at the time of the incident.
Ship tracking information indicates the vessel had made a recent stop at Celebration Key, the cruise line’s private island, before the incident, Cruise Hive reported.
The death marks the second serious incident involving the cruise line in recent days.
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Over the weekend, an 88-year-old woman died after falling from a pier at Celebration Key.
Authorities said she lost control of her mobility scooter while near the edge and went into the water.
In the latest incident, a rescue team was dispatched, and the man was recovered from the water. He was later pronounced dead, authorities said. (Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Investigators believe the woman struck her head against the side of a docked ship before entering the water.
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“Carnival confirmed that a female guest using a mobility scooter drove off the pier at Celebration Key and fell into the water while Carnival Celebration was in port on May 9. Carnival teams responded, successfully retrieving her from the water,” a Carnival spokesperson previously told Digital.
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“Despite resuscitation efforts, she did not survive. The deceased was taken by the Royal Bahamian Police Department and the coroner’s office. Our thoughts are with her family,” the spokesperson added.
Andrea Margolis of Digital contributed reporting.
