Latest news with #LauraAmador
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Super Dad mode activated: Man jumps off Disney cruise ship to save daughter
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Rescuers from the Disney Dream cruise ship pluck a father and his five-year-old daughter out of the sea. It was a fitting Disney ending. A father jumped off a 14-deck cruise ship operated by Disney to save his five-year-old daughter who had fallen over a railing. He managed to swim towards her and, for a couple of minutes, treaded water till rescuers could reach him and his daughter. The incident happened on June 29 on the last leg of a four-day cruise from the Bahamas to Florida. Videos of rescuers on a small boat plucking the man and his daughter from the sea have since gone viral. Many of those who saw the videos praised the father for his act of paternal heroism and self-sacrifice, and the ship's crew for their quick response. 'Superhuman dad strength activated,' said one on the BBC's YouTube channel. Another said the rescuers 'deserve a medal of honour each'. It was not clear how the girl fell overboard, but witnesses said they saw the father taking pictures of her on the fourth deck when it happened. 'There was some kind of commotion,' a passenger who gave her name only as Chandler told People magazine. 'Then this awful scream from what I assume is the mother, and then this massive splash,' she said. 'It sounded like hitting pavement, nothing like if you jump into a pool. It was so loud.' She said she then saw a life vest dropped into the water, and then heard over a loudspeaker: 'MOB (man overboard) port side'. Another passenger, Ms Laura Amador, told CBS News: 'The ship was moving quickly, so quickly. It's crazy how quickly the people became tiny dots in the sea, and then you lost sight of them.' She added: 'The captain slowed the ship and turned it around, and then they deployed a tender (smaller) ship with people on it to go get them, and we saw them rescue the dad and daughter.' Mr Gar Frantz, who was also a passenger on the ship, told NBC News: 'We watched it. You could see two little things... It was crazy. It was horrific.' Mr Eric Pabon, also a passenger, told CBS News: 'It took everybody's breath away, to be honest with you. Very nerve-racking to say the least, but as a father, like I said, I would've done the same thing.' He added: 'It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience I hope I never get to see again.' The 4,000-person capacity Disney Dream cruise ship, was returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after sailing for four days around the Bahamas. But how did she fall overboard? Disney confirmed in a statement that two passengers were rescued, but offered few details about what occurred. 'The crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water,' a Disney Cruise Line spokesman said. 'We commend our crew members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes.' The lack of clarity and details had some wondering how much of the accident was, in fact, the father's fault. 'She cannot fall over the railing unless she was lifted up or she climbed up,' said one YouTube viewer. Another viewer was just as direct in blaming the father: 'The daughter only fell overboard because of the father's negligence.' Most, however, were on the father's side, calling him 'hero father', 'brave dad', and 'dad of the decade, right there'. People magazine reported on July 2 that the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Florida was looking into the incident. A statement from the sheriff's office said: 'While there doesn't appear to be anything suspicious, detectives are investigating the circumstances that led up to the child falling overboard.' Said a sheriff's representative: 'This family is so blessed... It's great to be able to respond to good news rather than what could have been a tragic outcome.' While it is rare for passengers to fall from cruise ships, rescues are not often successful when they do. According to a Cruise Lines International Association report from 2019, 25 people fell overboard that year from cruise ships and only nine were saved from the water.
ABC News
4 days ago
- ABC News
Authorities investigating after father jumps off Disney cruise ship to save daughter who fell overboard
A Disney Cruise Line vacation descended into chaos on Sunday after a child fell overboard, prompting her father to jump in after her. According to Disney officials, both individuals were rescued "within minutes" and reported no injuries. Here's how the incident unfolded. The incident happened aboard the Disney Dream as it sailed between the Bahamas and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It took place on the last day of the cruise. We don't know yet. But what we do know is that the 5-year-old girl fell overboard from the ship's fourth deck, which has a jogging track surrounded by railings and plexiglas. After she fell overboard, witnesses say her father jumped in after her and trod water for more than 10 minutes. This prompted a man overboard alert of "Mr MOB … port side" to be broadcast on the ship. One passenger, Laura Amador, described how she witnessed the two enter the ocean and nearly disappear into the horizon. "The ship was moving quickly, so quickly, it's crazy how quickly the people became tiny dots in the sea, and then you lost sight of them," Ms Amador told CBS News. "The captain slowed the ship and turned it around, and then they deployed a tender ship with people on it to go get them, and we saw them rescue the dad and daughter." Speaking with NBC News, James Tackett said he felt the ship make a really sharp turn. "When they did officially get the people, everyone cheered. It was a good moment." According to a statement from the Broward County Sheriff's Office, there "doesn't appear to be anything suspicious" about the incident. However, investigations are ongoing. "This family is so blessed," the statement read. "It's great to be able to respond to good news rather than what could have been a tragic outcome." The statement also praised the Disney crew, noting they "executed a successful ocean rescue". The identities of the father and daughter have not been publicly released. Social media posts from cruisers praised the rapid reaction from crew members and the overboard detection system that triggered an alert broadcast over the ship's loudspeakers. In a Facebook post on the Disney Dream Cruise Ship Group, one passenger, Kevin Furuta, said: "A girl fell overboard from the 4th deck & her dad went in after her…Thankfully the DCL rescue team was on it immediately and both were saved!" Disney confirmed in a statement that two passengers were rescued, but offered little detail about what occurred. "We commend our crew members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes," a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said. The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 requires cruise lines to have man-overboard detection technology. According to 2019 data from the Cruise Lines International Association, 25 people fell overboard that year from cruise ships. Only nine were saved from the water.
Saudi Gazette
5 days ago
- General
- Saudi Gazette
Father jumps off Disney cruise ship to save daughter who fell overboard
MIAMI — A father jumped into the ocean to save his daughter after she fell from the fourth deck of a Disney cruise ship travelling from the Bahamas to the US on Sunday afternoon, witnesses say. Videos showed passengers cheering as the two were pulled onto a rescue boat after apparently treading water for 10 minutes. The girl appeared to fall when her father took her picture against a railing, witnesses said. A man overboard alert was broadcast on the ship, and crew rushed to recover them. "The ship was moving quickly, so quickly, it's crazy how quickly the people became tiny dots in the sea, and then you lost sight of them," passenger Laura Amador said. "The captain slowed the ship and turned it around, and then they deployed a tender ship with people on it to go get them, and we saw them rescue the dad and daughter," she told CBS News, the BBC's US partner. The 4,000-person capacity Disney Dream, was returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after sailing for four days around the confirmed in a statement that two passengers were rescued, but offered few details about what occurred."The Crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water," a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said. "We commend our Crew Members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within image of the 14-deck Disney Dream cruise ship with an annotation to indicate the location of the fourth deck, which is just below the lifeboats. The fourth deck includes a running track which has a long, open-air section with railings on both sides of the boat."We watched it, you could see two little was crazy, it was horrific," passenger Gar Frantz told NBC News, describing how he witnessed the two enter the ocean and nearly disappear into the incident took place on the last day of the cruise, and the ship returned to port in Florida as it is rare for passengers to fall from cruise ships, rescues are not often successful when they to a Cruise Lines International Association report from 2019, 25 people fell overboard that year from cruise ships and only nine were saved from the water. — BBC
STV News
5 days ago
- General
- STV News
Father jumps off Disney cruise ship to save daughter who fell overboard
Disney cruise ship crew rescued a father and daughter who fell into the water during a cruise between the Bahamas and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It has been reported the father was taking a photo of his daughter against a railing on the fourth deck when she fell into the water. Witnesses say the man then jumped into the water himself to rescue the girl. A man overboard signal was quickly heard and crew members ventured into the water on a small boat to rescue the pair by pulling them onto the vessel, as passengers could be herd cheering. Passengers on board the cruise ship describe what they saw. 'The ship was moving quickly, so quickly, it's crazy how quickly the people became tiny dots in the sea, and then you lost sight of them,' passenger Laura Amador said. One other described the father looking tired after treading water with his daughter for so long. The incident took place on the last day of the cruise, as the ship was returning from the Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale. Footage filmed by passengers shows the moment the small boat rescued the father and daughter. Disney has released few official details about the incident but praised the quick work of their crew members in a statement. 'The Crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water,' a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said. 'We commend our Crew Members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes.' It is rare for passengers to fall overboard from cruise ships and data from the Cruise Lines International Association shows the number of incidents is falling. It remains the case however that when passengers do fall overboard they are rarely rescued. In 2019, 25 people fell overboard, but only nine were recovered. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
ITV News
5 days ago
- ITV News
Father jumps off Disney cruise ship to save daughter who fell overboard
Disney cruise ship crew rescued a father and daughter who fell into the water during a cruise between the Bahamas and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It has been reported the father was taking a photo of his daughter against a railing on the fourth deck when she fell into the water. Witnesses say the man then jumped into the water himself to rescue the girl. A man overboard signal was quickly heard and crew members ventured into the water on a small boat to rescue the pair by pulling them onto the vessel, as passengers could be herd cheering. Passengers on board the cruise ship describe what they saw. "The ship was moving quickly, so quickly, it's crazy how quickly the people became tiny dots in the sea, and then you lost sight of them," passenger Laura Amador said. One other described the father looking tired after treading water with his daughter for so long. The incident took place on the last day of the cruise, as the ship was returning from the Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale. Footage filmed by passengers shows the moment the small boat rescued the father and daughter. Disney has released few official details about the incident but praised the quick work of their crew members in a statement. "The Crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water," a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said. "We commend our Crew Members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes." It is rare for passengers to fall overboard from cruise ships and data from the Cruise Lines International Association shows the number of incidents is falling. It remains the case however that when passengers do fall overboard they are rarely rescued. In 2019, 25 people fell overboard, but only nine were recovered.
