A U.S. tourist died in the Bahamas after an excursion boat carrying more than 100 people sank while traveling to a private island, police said Wednesday.
Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told The Associated Press that the unidentified 74-year-old woman from Broomfield, Colorado, was on a five-day vacation with her family when the boat sank late Tuesday morning.
The rest of the passengers and crew members were rescued. Two other unidentified people were taken to a medical facility, police said, but their conditions were not immediately known.
It wasn’t immediately clear how the 74-year-old woman died. Police said in a statement that the woman was found unresponsive as they helped pull the passengers and crew members from the water. They said she was given CPR and then taken to a dock where she was declared dead.
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A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean confirmed that the woman had been a passenger on one of their ships and was participating in a shore excursion.
"We are saddened to hear that one of our guests passed away following an accident on a shore excursion in Nassau, Bahamas," the spokesperson said in a statement. "Our hearts are with the families involved and our Care Team has been activated to support them during this difficult time."
Kelly Schissell, a passenger on the catamaran, recalled the moments the ferry went down.
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"So we were on a two tiered ferry to Blue Lagoon. We were almost there. We started to stop and turn to go into the Blue Lagoon area. And we kind of, I kind of thought like 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," Schissell said.
Schissell also said that people didn't jump into the water right away as they were awaiting instructions from the crew, but never got them.
"You wonder why people didn't jump in right away. We were kind of waiting for the staff to tell us what to do, which they never did because they were too busy crying and freaking out," Schissell added.
Life vests were available, and those aboard were wearing them, according to authorities.
Police said the double-deck catamaran began taking on water after departing Paradise Island with a group of tourists headed to Blue Lagoon Island, a popular destination located just northeast of the capital of Nassau.
A video posted on social media showed some passengers yelling as the catamaran began listing on its right side, prompting tourists to slowly start jumping into the water as they swam toward nearby boats.
Police said the Royal Bahamas Defense Force also helped with the rescue, as well as nearby pleasure craft.
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing.
