Following yesterday's news that a Royal Caribbean cruise ship passenger had died after jumping overboard just 300 miles from Florida port, another traveller has spoken out about the harrowing incident.
The unidentified man had been travelling on the firm's 1,200ft long Icon of the Seas ship - which had departed from Florida port for Honduras on Saturday (25 May) - plunged into the sea the following day.
While the Coast Guard said he went overboard, witnesses have claimed he jumped.
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According to CruiseHive, the vessel came to a halt just 300 miles from PortMiami immediately afterwards, after which crew members joined the Coast Guard in a search and rescue mission.
The unnamed man was just hours into his week-long voyage on the Icon of the Seas when he was located by a rescue boat.
The man was rescued from the sea and brought back on board in a critical condition.
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However, he succumbed to his injuries and was later pronounced dead.
Opening up about the incident, the Coast Guard said: "The cruise ship deployed one of their rescue boats, located the man and brought him back aboard.
"He was pronounced deceased. Beyond assisting in the search, the US Coast Guard did not have much involvement in this incident."
Zachary Normand has now opened up about the 'dystopian' scenes on board the Icon of the Seas during the incident.
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He and 300 of his fellow holidaymakers were made aware the passenger had been rescued while eating dinner, after the ship's captain made an announcement.
"Everyone in the dining room clapped and we're like 'yeah",' Zachary told the New York Post. "We assumed that the guy was fine."
It wasn't until later it emerged the man had passed away, after which Zachary claims the atmosphere immediately became surreal.
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"I don't think everyone knows about the guy dying. I think it's kind of purposely silenced," he went on, adding how surprised he was that activities resumed as normal promptly afterwards.
"I thought we were going straight back to Miami, I thought that was it. But, no, everything just kept on going, I think people we're just trying not to think about it, maybe, I don't know.
"It just seemed like more people would have been like, 'oh my gosh, what's going on,' but no, people were just going about their day. It's just kind of dystopian."
The Icon of the Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship and took its maiden voyage on 27 January.
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The company says the ship has the tallest waterfall and tallest drop water slide and largest waterpark of any cruise ship.
On the boat, travellers can relax in a suspended infinity pool or hit up the ice skating rink and entertainment venue.
There is also an Aquadome on board which has been built specifically for diving.
Topics: US News, News, World News, Crime
Rhianna Benson