A father jumped into the ocean to save his young daughter after she fell overboard from a Disney Cruise Line ship on its way back to South Florida, prompting a dramatic rescue at sea, according to passengers, videos posted on social media and a statement from Disney Cruise Line.
The incident happened Sunday aboard the Disney Dream as it sailed between the Bahamas and Fort Lauderdale.
As first reported by The Street, the child went overboard during the final leg of the cruise, and her father immediately leapt in after her. Passengers who spoke with CBS News Miami said he treaded water for more than 10 minutes.
An emergency alert sounded through the ship as crew members launched a rescue boat and tossed life preservers into the water.
“The ship was moving quickly, so quickly, it’s crazy how quickly the people became tiny dots in the sea, and then you lost sight of them. The captain slowed the ship and turned it around, and then they deployed a tender ship with people on it to go get them, and we saw them rescue the dad and daughter,” passenger Laura Amador said.
