On July 13th, 2019, a tragedy occurred as an 18-month old baby girl fell from the 11th deck of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship off the coast of Puerto Rico. The incident happened when the baby’s grandfather was holding her near an open window in the dining area of the ship. Despite the family’s efforts to save her, she slipped from his arms and fell overboard.
The rescue mission that followed was a massive undertaking involving multiple agencies from both Puerto Rico and the United States. Coast Guard helicopters, Navy vessels and even good Samaritans all joined forces to search for the infant in hopes of finding her alive. Sadly, their efforts were unsuccessful and after an extensive search, authorities declared her dead.
The accident has left many heartbroken as this family’s vacation turned into a nightmare. The parents of the little girl have since been identified as Salvatorre and Kim Anello who lived in Indiana with their three children. They were reportedly on their way back to Fort Lauderdale after spending a week away on a Caribbean cruise when this awful event occurred.
In response to this tragedy, Royal Caribbean has released several statements expressing their sympathies for the family and offering condolences for their loss. They have also stated that they are cooperating with local authorities to investigate what went wrong that fateful day so that similar incidents can be prevented in the future.
Despite this being an incredibly difficult time for everyone involved, it is important to remember one thing: we must continue to be vigilant when it comes to child safety onboard ships – especially those with open windows or balconies – as such tragedies can easily be avoided if proper precautions are taken.
Conclusion: How did the baby fall off the cruise ship? Unfortunately, it appears that this was simply an unfortunate accident caused by one moment of carelessness on behalf of her grandfather who was holding her near an open window in a dining area on board the ship.
Despite everyone’s best efforts, she slipped from his arms and fell overboard into open waters below where rescue attempts were unfortunately unsuccessful as she was declared dead shortly after being reported missing. It is essential for us all to remain alert regarding child safety when travelling onboard ships so similar tragedies can be avoided in future.