Another cruise ship tragedy. An Aussie man tumbled overboard on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the US Virgin Islands and has died.
The Symphony of the Seas was sailing from St Kitts to St Thomas in the Caribbean early Wednesday morning when the incident occurred.
The liner sent out a rescue boat but it was too late. The man had drowned and his body was subsequently recovered, as reported in news.com.au.
The man has been identified as father-of-two Australian entrepreneur Jon Pfahl.
As reported in the Daily Mail, Mr Pfahl, 37, was believed to be celebrating his wife Lisa’s birthday.
A source close to the family said the couple were holidaying with their two young children at the time.
Friends and family of the couple have been left ‘absolutely distraught’ by Mr Pfahl’s tragic fall and death.
“Upon the initial report that an Australian adult male had gone overboard, our ship immediately turned, launched a rescue boat, and conducted a full-scale search,” Royal Caribbean has said in a statement.
“We are working closely with authorities and will continue to assist in their investigation.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that occurred on the Symphony of the Seas en route to St Thomas. Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones for their loss, and our care team is providing support and assistance during this difficult time.”
Details as to how the incident occurred are still unclear. Although we suspect more information should be released in the coming days.
The Miami Herald reported that the US Coast Guard said it wouldn’t investigate the incident as the ship was registered to the Bahamas, the man was not a US citizen and the death happened in international waters.
The ship had embarked on a seven-day eastern Caribbean cruise and was expected to return to Miami, Florida on Saturday. The man’s body will remain on the ship until it returns to Miami.
More Cruise Ship Tragedies
This is certainly not the first cruise ship tragedy. We recently reported on the terrible story of the toddler falling to her death from a cruise ship.
And last year we were all saddened by the story of the mum who died when she jumped off a local cruise liner.
According to the Herald, last year, 23 people went overboard on cruise ships and only four bodies were found.
Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time.
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More on Mouths of Mums
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