A Royal Caribbean crew member died after plunging off the cruise ship as it was sailing through the Bahamas.
The unidentified man jumped off the boat around 7pm on Thursday, causing an Oscar alarm to sound throughout the Icon of the Seas ship.
An Oscar alarm is used when someone has gone overboard.
The crew member was recovered roughly 30 minutes later, but was pronounced dead.
‘Unfortunately, the crew member passed away,’ the cruise line confirmed in a statement to Cruise Hive, which first reported on the story.
‘We extend our condolences to the crew member’s family and loved ones. To respect their privacy, we have no additional details to share.’
Daily Mail has reached out to Royal Caribbean.
Royal Bahamian Police Force told Daily Mail in a statement that the ‘matter is presently being investigated.’
‘The cruise ship just arrived on the island this morning,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail.
Rescue efforts were deployed immediately on Thursday and the boat turned back toward the overboard man.
The boat was near San Salvador, which is roughly 200 miles East of Nassau, when it turned backed.
Life preservers were dropped down to help the man, Cruise Hive reported.
Rescue crews were able to locate the man’s unresponsive body and a rescue team was seen working on the man on a dingy before he was pronounced dead.
The Icon of the Seas ship runs a seven-day trip, where the last stop before returning to the US is at CocoCay, Bahamas, a private island owned by the Royal Caribbean.
The ship is about on course and is expected to return to Miami on Saturday.
The Icon of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world at nearly 1,200 feet long. It cost $2billion to build the vessel and was one of the most expensive ever.
It holds up to 7,600 passengers and weighs at about 250,800 tons.
This is a breaking story, please check back for updates.
