A cruise passenger has died during a shore excursion in the Bahamas when their tour boat sank.
The incident occurred on 14th November 2023 at around 11 am.
Guests on the double-decker tour boat were on their way to Blue Lagoon Island from the Nassau cruise port when large waves caused the boat to take on water.
Eventually, after listing for a short while, the boat completely sank, and while most guests were safely rescued from the waters, a 75-year-old female sadly lost her life. Two other guests were taken to hospital but were reportedly not seriously injured.
These images were taken from a TikTok video by user ‘kellyswitz’.
While a statement from Blue Lagoon Island confirmed that the passenger had been a cruise ship guest, they didn’t confirm which cruise line they were sailing with.
“Today at approximately 11am, a vessel from Blue Lagoon Island started taking on water and became partially submerged. Emergency Teams from the island quickly arrived to render assistance. Passengers and 5 staff members were located and brought to the island and two passengers were taken to the hospital for additional care. All onboard are accounted for.”
Blue Lagoon Island
There were five ships in port during the incident:
- Celebrity Summit (Celebrity Cruises)
- Norwegian Pearl (NCL)
- Independence of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)
- Disney Wish (Disney Cruise Line)
- Carnival Liberty (Carnival)
Often, cruise guests from different ships will be grouped together on excursions, so the passenger could have come from any of the five ships in port.
Update – Royal Caribbean has now confirmed that the passenger was sailing with them.
As the guest’s identity has not been revealed, it’s unclear whether there were any other health concerns or issues that may have contributed. The affected cruise line will currently be assisting family members and conducting a full investigation.
At the time, it’s not clear how other Blue Lagoon Island excursions will be impacted.
This kind of incident is exceptionally rare, and many millions of passengers enjoy shore excursions safely when cruising. It’s still very sad, and my thoughts are with the passenger’s loved ones.
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