Girl, man rescued after going overboard on Disney cruise ship

by · UPI

June 30 (UPI) -- A young girl and a man, believed to be her father, were rescued Sunday after they went overboard into the ocean off of a Disney cruise ship, as it set sail from the Bahamas.

The ship was en route back to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after a four-day cruise, when the child went over the railing from the fourth-floor deck and the man jumped in after her, according to passengers.

A crew from the ship, which can hold up to 4,000 passengers, "swiftly rescued the two guests from the water," Disney said in a statement.

"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," Disney added.

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While the cruise line did not share any information about the two passengers, it touted their safe recovery. "We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols."

Passengers said "man overboard" alerts were broadcast over loudspeakers on the ship as rescue crews launched life rings and deployed a yellow rescue boat. Once the man and child were safely pulled from the water, passengers aboard the ship broke out into loud applause. No one was injured.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it was not involved in Sunday's rescue.

"The cruise ship was able to deploy its own assets to conduct the rescue at sea," said Coast Guard Lt. Darius Adams.

While it was not clear how the child ended up in the water, one passenger said the girl was sitting on a fourth deck rail as the man took her picture. After she went overboard, the man jumped over after her.

"We watched it," passenger Gar Frantz told NBC News and described the pair in the water.

"You could see two little things... It was crazy. It was horrific."