Passenger falls off cruise ship in Caribbean

(CNS): A passenger travelling on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, was rescued by another cruise line after he fell overboard off the coast of Mexico last week. According to international reports, the American man, identified as 22-year-old Frank Jade by Disney Cruise Lines, had been in the water for five hours before he was rescued by the Disney Magic.

Experts have said that Jade, who is said not to have sustained any serious injuries, is lucky to be alive because falling from one of the largest cruise ships in the world is like hitting concrete. He has said he does not remember what happened before he fell into the water off Cozumel in the early hours of the morning.

But a passenger on the Disney Magic who was standing on his balcony heard the man’s cries for help from the ocean. The ship then launched a lifeboat towards him as he swam in rough seas about a mile from the Mexican coast. While the Disney cruise line has confirmed rescuing the man on 8 January, Royal Caribbean has not yet responded to the international media reports which broke the story Thursday.

Amateur footage of the rescue (see below) was posted on YouTube Sunday by David Hearn.