Current:Home > Scams'Our boat is sinking!': Woman killed after double-decker ferry sinks in Bahamas-LoTradeCoin
'Our boat is sinking!': Woman killed after double-decker ferry sinks in Bahamas
View Date:2024-12-24 00:49:12
A 75-year-old American woman is dead after a double-decker ferry carrying cruise ship passengers to a popular tourist island sank in the Bahamas, local officials said.
The incident took place Tuesday as the boat departed Paradise Island, Nassau, while ferrying tourists to Blue Lagoon Island, a spokesperson with The Royal Bahamas Police Force confirmed to USA TODAY.
The tourist destination is located about three miles northeast of Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.
Frightening video taken from the scene shows passengers wearing orange life vests around their neck, clinging to one side of the ferry as the vessel sinks into Caribbean turquoise waters.
Here's what we know:
Mexican restaurant E. coli outbreak:87-year-old man's death tied to Miguel's Cocina E. coli outbreak in San Diego, California
At least one American citizen died
Police said the ferry left a dock in Paradise Island about 9:30 a.m. with about 100 passengers on board, the Nassau Guardian reported.
"The vessel experienced rough seas in the area, which resulted in the boat taking on water and becoming submerged in waters just outside of Blue Lagoon," police chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told the outlet.
Police reported a 75-year-old woman from Colorado died in the incident, according to the outlet.
Her identity and cause of death were not immediately known.
Yachts continue to sink in Europe:Orcas strike back (again), sinking another yacht in Europe after 45-minute attack
Passengers were reportedly all from a cruise ship
According to a statement released online from Blue Lagoon Island, the passengers on board the ferry were from a cruise ship.
The accident took place as the vessel was approaching Blue Lagoon Island, the statement said and emergency teams from the island "quickly arrived to render assistance."
“Passengers and five staff members were located and brought to the island, and two passengers were taken to the hospital for additional care," the statement continues.
'Living hell':Family distraught after California woman vanishes on yoga retreat in Guatemala
'Our boat is sinking'
"Out boat is sinking," Kelly Schissel, an American tourist on board the vessel, is heard saying in a TikTok video she filmed as the boat took on water. "Everybody is freaking out."
Chaos and screaming is heard in the background of the video which shows people with life jackets around their necks, some leaning over the boat looking into the water watching in horror as it sinks.
"I'm on the top floor of a ferry," Schissel says as she continued to film, the boat seen tipped on its side into choppy waters.
At one point, people are seen jumping off what appears to be the back of the boat into the water as others on board continue to shout.
About a half dozen people in the shot are seen swimming towards another boat stopped a short distance from the ferry.
"We were almost there... we weren't actually that close to shore it just kind of looked like it," Schissel said in a follow up video on TikTok shot after she made it to land.
She said when water began pouring into the boat, many passengers were waiting for instruction from crew members, but they reportedly did not give any.
So when they saw someone jump into the rough water, she said, they followed in suit with life jackets and swam to a nearby boat until other boats arrived to help in the rescue effort.
The conditions of those transported to the hospital were not immediately known Wednesday.
In addition to local authorities, according to the Blue Lagoon statement, the island alerted the cruise ship and the U.S.Embassy about the accident.
The statement said the organization would release more details as they become available
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
veryGood! (129)
Related
- Does the NFL have a special teams bias when hiring head coaches? History indicates it does
- A Nevada Lithium Mine Nears Approval, Despite Threatening the Only Habitat of an Endangered Wildflower
- DNA match leads to arrest in 1988 cold case killing of Boston woman Karen Taylor
- Elle King Shares Positive Personal Update 8 Months After Infamous Dolly Parton Tribute
- Certifying this year’s presidential results begins quietly, in contrast to the 2020 election
- Federal officials have increased staff in recent months at NY jail where Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is held
- Google begins its defense in antitrust case alleging monopoly over advertising technology
- Alec Baldwin urges judge to stand by dismissal of involuntary manslaughter case in ‘Rust’ shooting
- Larry Hobbs, who guided AP’s coverage of Florida news for decades, has died at 83
- Upset alert for Miami, USC? Bold predictions for Week 4 in college football
Ranking
- Homes of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce burglarized, per reports
- Ford recalls over 144,000 Mavericks for rearview camera freeze
- Euphoric two years ago, US anti-abortion movement is now divided and worried as election nears
- North America’s Biggest Food Companies Are Struggling to Lower Their Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Outgoing North Carolina governor grants 2 pardons, 6 commutations
- Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield says Tom Brady created 'high-strung' environment
- Estranged husband arrested in death of his wife 31 years ago in Vermont
- Biden is putting personal touch on Asia-Pacific diplomacy in his final months in office
Recommendation
-
What’s the secret to growing strong, healthy nails?
-
Gunfire outside a high school football game injures one and prompts a stadium evacuation
-
Extra 25% Off Everything at Kate Spade Outlet: Get a $500 Tote Set for $111, $26 Wallets, $51 Bags & More
-
Court takes ‘naked ballots’ case over Pennsylvania mail-in voting
-
Kyle Richards Shares an Amazing Bottega Dupe From Amazon Along With Her Favorite Fall Trends
-
Caren Bohan tapped to lead USA TODAY newsroom as editor-in-chief
-
New York magazine says its star political reporter is on leave after a relationship was disclosed
-
NASCAR 2024 playoffs at Bristol: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Night Race