Passenger Dies After Falling Overboard From World’s Largest Cruise Ship

A man died after falling from the deck on the world’s largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas last week. The massive vessel had just started a seven-night cruise from Miami, Florida, when the man fell from one of its 20 decks, sparking a two-hour rescue mission.

The 1,200-foot long Icon of the Seas set sail from Florida on May 25 bound for its first stop at Honduras, reports the Royal Caribbean Blog. However, just a day after departing U.S. soil, the ship was forced into a dramatic rescue mission after an unnamed passenger fell from one of its decks.

The passenger reportedly plummeted into the Gulf of Mexico, sparking a two-hour rescue mission that involved crews from the ship as well as U.S. Coastguard officers. Rescue boats from the Royal Caribbean-operated cruise liner were quickly deployed to recover the man. As Royal Caribbean Blog reports:

The incident allegedly took place in the morning on Sunday, prompting an immediate rescue mission from the vessel. According to guests onboard Icon of the Seas, a small rescue boat was launched from Icon of the Seas to search for the overboard guest.

Guests online stated that Icon of the Seas halted its course for approximately two hours to complete the search and rescue mission. Crew members took swift action while the ship maintained its location for the duration of the rescue mission.

However, while crews were able to recover the man after he fell from the ship and bring him back onboard alive, he reportedly succumbed to his injuries and died as a result of the fall. In a statement shared with Jalopnik, the U.S. Coastguard said:

The Coast Guard assisted in the search for a man who fell overboard the cruise ship Icon of the Seas. 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 U.S. Coast Guard did not have much involvement in this incident.

Jalopnik has reached out to Royal Caribbean, which operates Icon of the Seas, for a statement about the death onboard its ship.

Royal Caribbean launched Icon of the Seas earlier this year, with the 7,600-passenger ship undertaking its maiden voyage in January. The ship, which is roughly 1,200 feet long and requires a crew of almost 3,000, features a water park onboard, an ice rink onboard and the largest swimming pool aboard any cruise ship.