Simon Calder : “Tragic Cruise Ship Death: Passenger Jumps Overboard”

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A passenger tragically lost his life after jumping overboard from the world’s largest cruise ship as it departed from Florida.

The unidentified male passenger reportedly leaped from the 20-deck high Icon of the Seas as it began its journey on a seven-day cruise around the Caribbean, with its first stop scheduled in Honduras, according to the New York Post.

The Coast Guard, while stating their minimal involvement in the incident apart from aiding in the search for the man, confirmed that the cruise ship’s rescue boat successfully located and retrieved the individual. Unfortunately, the man was pronounced deceased following the retrieval.

At the time of the tragic event, the Icon of the Seas was approximately 300 miles away from PortMiami and around 30 to 40 miles north of Santa Lucia, Cuba, during the morning hours, as reported by Cruise Hive.

Royal Caribbean, the operator of the Icon of the Seas, promptly notified the US Coast Guard and initiated a search and rescue operation following the incident. The cruise company’s care team is currently providing support to the loved ones of the deceased passenger.

The cruise ship, which accommodates over 5,000 guests and recently embarked on its maiden voyage in January, paused for about two hours after the incident occurred on Sunday. The ship remained stationary as the search efforts continued.

According to CruiseMapper tracking data, the Icon of the Seas is expected to reach the port of Costa Maya, Mexico by noon on Tuesday.

This incident follows a similar tragedy involving another Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Liberty of the Seas, where a 20-year-old man went overboard during a trip around the Bahamas. Despite extensive search efforts by the cruise line and the US Coast Guard, the man was not found after five days of searching.

However, Royal Caribbean has also experienced successful rescue missions in recent months, including the recovery of a passenger who fell overboard from the Symphony of the Seas back in October.

The Independent has reached out to Royal Caribbean for further comment on the incident.

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