PASSENGERS on a Disney Dream cruise ship recounted their shock following an incident where a young girl fell overboard.
Those on board described hearing alarming sounds when the child fell from the fourth deck of the luxurious $900 million vessel on Sunday.
Desperate to rescue her, her father leaped into the sea.
The vessel was en route back to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, following a four-day trip to The Bahamas when the accident happened just after 11:15am.
“It sounded like hitting pavement, nothing like if you jump into a pool,” one traveler, known only as Chandler, told People.
“It was so loud.”
Chandler said there was a “commotion” on the deck of the ship.
She recalled hearing what she described as an “awful” scream from who she thought was the girl’s mom.
The man overboard alarm was played on the ship’s loudspeaker, sparking a frantic rescue operation.
Life vests were hurled into the water as rescue crews sprang into action.
Chandler shared footage on TikTok that captured the dramatic rescue.
A yellow life vessel could be seen bobbing up and down as the girl and dad were rescued and brought back to the cruise ship.
Janice Martin-Asque, from Florida, recalled seeing people crowding by the railings.
“My daughter asked someone what had happened, and someone said a kid had fallen overboard and that the dad jumped in after her,” she told CBC.
Shannon Lindholm, who was also on board the ship, said the man gave a thumbs up after being rescued.
She said fellow passengers cheered as the father and daughter were brought back onto the ship, as per CBC News.
Disney Cruise bosses are probing how the girl fell overboard.
It is highly rare for passengers to fall overboard from ships.
Only 212 people have fallen overboard between 2009 and 2019, according to a Cruise Lines International Association report.
The cruise ship docked in Fort Lauderdale on Monday morning before departing that afternoon.
It is currently at sea en route to The Bahamas, as per Cruise Mapper.
The vessel will head to Nassau and Disney Lookout Cay before returning back to Florida on July 5.
The 15-year-old ship, last refurbished in 2024, can carry between 2,500 and 3,500 passengers, and can reach top speeds of 25mph.
