Over the weekend, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship came to the aid of individuals stranded on a fragile raft adrift between Mexico and Cuba.
The Enchantment of the Seas was traveling west through the Yucatan Channel on Sunday evening when the crew spotted a group of travelers in dire conditions on a decaying raft, as reported by NBC News.
“Our team noticed people in distress while in international waters, provided medical assistance to the rescued, and coordinated with the Mexican Coast Guard,” the Royal Caribbean Group stated.
Jeffrey Walker, who was enjoying a cruise with his family, recalled seeing a “little white flash” as they walked along the ship’s 990-foot promenade.
“The ship started to turn around, and the captain informed us he would check if they needed assistance,” Walker shared with NBC.
“It became evident as we got closer that their rafts were about to fall apart,” he continued.
The raft contained around ten people. Reports indicate they were in a precarious situation, having “lost part of it.”
The crew utilized two drones to assess the deteriorating raft’s safety, before launching a lifeboat to rescue the stranded individuals.
Walker managed to capture the moment the lifeboat approached the swaying raft in a video.
Ultimately, everyone was rescued and brought on board the cruise ship, according to reports.
The ship’s captain later reassured passengers that those rescued were in good health, a fact Walker recalled with relief.
“It felt surreal, exciting, and quite frightening,” Walker mentioned. “Their rafts were in a really bad state, and we were fortunate our ship was there.” He noted that the cruise had been rerouted to avoid Hurricane Imelda during its five-day journey.
The Royal Caribbean Group had not responded to queries for comments by the time this was published.
