Tourist dies after Bahamas excursion boat sinks
Topics: Health, Police, Travel, World News, Royal Caribbean
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: Facebook / Eyewitness News Bahamas
Topics: Health, Police, Travel, World News, Royal Caribbean
A Royal Caribbean passenger has died after a boat sank in the Bahamas.
On Tuesday (14 November) an excursion boat carrying around 100 people sank while on its way from Paradise Island to private island Blue Lagoon in the Bahamas, Caribbean.
A 74-year-old woman from Colorado who was holidaying with her family is reported by police as having passed away as a result of the incident.
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Royal Bahamas Police Force's Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings confirmed the woman's passing to The Associated Press.
The holidaymaker is reported as having been on a five-day trip with her family at the time the boat sank.
The woman is said to have been found unresponsive when she was pulled from the water, so was given CPR and taken to a dock, however, she was later pronounced dead at the scene.
The traveller's name and official cause of death have not yet been released.
A video circulating on social media shows the scary moment the boat began to sink and passengers put on life jackets before jumping into the water.
A passenger onboard the boat told NBC 6 South Florida the boat was 'a two tiered ferry' and was 'almost' at Blue Lagoon when it begun to sink.
Kelly Schissell continues: "We started to stop and turn to go into the like Blue Lagoon area.
"I thought the captain was trying to be silly and like whip a shootie because we all kind of went forward, and the water kind of splashed up.
"And then all of a sudden, we stayed leaning forward."
A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean confirmed a 74-year-old woman who was a passenger on one of their cruise ships had passed away as a result of the incident.
The vessel the incident occurred on was not linked to Royal Caribbean or their shore excursions.
They told LADbible Group in a statement: "We are saddened to hear that one of our guests passed away following an accident on a shore excursion in Nassau, The Bahamas.
"Our hearts are with the families involved and our Care Team has been activated to support them during this difficult time."
According to police, two other people were taken to a medical facility and all other members of the excursion boat's crew and passengers were rescued.
Police said the Royal Bahamas Defense Force also aided in the rescuing of passengers, alongside nearby boats.
UNILAD has contacted the Royal Bahamas Police Force for comment.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677