50 Cruise Passengers Rescued After Excursion Boat Sinks in the Dominican Republic

A catamaran carrying about 50 cruise passengers sank within the waters of Samaná Bay within the Dominican Republic on Sunday, November 9, after it collided with an object within the ocean.

All passengers and crew had been rescued safely, based on native information reviews of the incident.

The Dominican Republic Navy confirmed that the 40-foot vessel, named Boca de Yuma, started taking up water after the collision and sank after a couple of minutes.

Navy personnel acted rapidly and labored with close by boats to drag passengers from the water. Images shared by the Navy present rescuers helping passengers and bringing them to security.

Most of these on board had been passengers from the TUI Cruises ship Mein Schiff 1. In an announcement offered to PEOPLE, the corporate mentioned the incident occurred throughout a shore tour operated by an unbiased supplier.

 “All friends are protected and had been returned to Mein Schiff 1 instantly after the rescue,” the cruise line confirmed. It added that the catamaran’s captain had contacted close by vessels for assist as quickly as the issue started.

“The rescue of the friends was the highest precedence and was profitable,” the TUI Cruises assertion went on to say. The corporate mentioned the vessel was accredited to hold as much as 80 passengers and that affected friends had been supplied assist and compensation earlier than selecting to proceed their voyage.

TUI Cruises additionally mentioned it’s cooperating with native authorities and the tour supplier to evaluation the reason for the accident.

In a translated assertion posted on Fb, the Dominican Navy defined that after receiving the emergency alert, it offered assist to make sure the protected return of all passengers to port.

Native media shops reported that a number of passengers sustained minor accidents, however no critical accidents had been sustained.

Authorities haven’t but revealed what object the catamaran struck, however investigations are ongoing. Regardless of the state of affairs, each individual on board was accounted for due to the actions of the crew, close by boat operators, and the Dominican Navy.