A father jumped into the ocean to save his young daughter after she fell overboard from a Disney Cruise Line ship on its way back to South Florida, prompting a dramatic rescue at sea, according to passengers, videos posted on social media and a statement from Disney Cruise Line.
The incident happened Sunday aboard the Disney Dream as it sailed between the Bahamas and Fort Lauderdale.
As first reported by The Street, the child went overboard during the final leg of the cruise, and her father immediately leapt in after her. Passengers who spoke with CBS News Miami said he treaded water for more than 10 minutes.
An emergency alert sounded through the ship as crew members launched a rescue boat and tossed life preservers into the water.
"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. 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," passenger Laura Amador said.
The Disney Dream docked at Port Everglades early Monday morning after a four-night Bahamian cruise.
A TikTok video from user Noeayala32, showed the father treading water with his daughter in his arms. He then handed her over to a rescue crew from the cruise ship before getting in the boat as well.
"Yeah, I only saw one fall, but I didn't see the other person. I thought it was only one person. It was a grown up. I think they were trying to take a picture on the railing. They were trying to see," Noeayala32 said in the video.
Passengers watching from the ship cheered when the rescue mission was complete, the video showed.
"Oh, I see him, yeah, bless his heart. How did he survive that long? Two people, bless their hearts," passenger Melanie Rickman said as she recorded the rescue on her phone. "Oh my God, that's a dad that needs to have a hero. He's a hero. He jumped in to save his child. He's a hero, he's a hero, that man is a hero," said passenger Tracy Robinson-Hughes, from Charleston, South Carolina, as she took a video of the rescue.
Disney Cruise issues statement on incident
"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. We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols," a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said in a statement.
Kevin Furuta, who was on the ship, posted on Facebook that the child fell from Deck 4 and her dad went in after her, according to USA TODAY.
"I saw the mother crying and but when they rescued them, I think that's when the tears really started flowing, because you were just so overjoyed knowing and I prayed to God to save them, and he did," Robinson-Hughes said as she departed the ship.
The ship has plexiglass safety barriers on its decks, so it is unclear how the child fell overboard.
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