Passenger on Cruise Ship Dies After Going Overboard

(USNewsBreak.com) – Millions of people embark on cruises each year to enjoy the time at sea and visit multiple destinations on vacation. Cruise ships provide passengers with endless entertainment and incorporate numerous safety measures to keep them safe. However, one man recently died when he reportedly jumped off the world’s largest cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas left Florida on the morning of Sunday, May 26. A few hours later, the crew received reports that a man had jumped off the cruise ship. The vessel stopped for approximately two hours while it began search efforts.

The crew deployed one of its rescue boats and informed the US Coast Guard of the missing passenger going overboard. However, the armed forces branch was quick to note it wasn’t really involved in the recovery. Instead, it helped in the search for the man. Eventually, search teams found the man, and the people on the ship celebrated prematurely. However, rescuers pronounced the passenger dead.

A passenger is reported dead after jumping off the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas on Sunday. https://t.co/gXfAgReXy1

— FOX 5 Atlanta (@FOX5Atlanta) May 29, 2024

Zachary Normandin, another passenger on the Icon, spoke with the New York Post and said what ensued after was like something out of a “dystopian” movie. He said he expected the ship to turn around and return to port. However, he was surprised when it continued on its way to the scheduled destinations of Honduras and Mexico. The ship was still out sailing on the open water; the cruise line didn’t expect it to return to its Miami port until June 1.

Normandin said people on the ship just continued going about their vacation. He believed “people were just trying not to think about it, maybe.”

The Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest ship, holds more than 7,000 passengers and 2,350 crew members. It took its maiden voyage in January and cost $2 billion to build. It contains an ice skating rink and seven pools inside its 17,000-square-foot water park.