Shock on the high seas Cruise excursion ship sinks in the Caribbean - children on board
An excursion on "Mein Schiff 1" took a dramatic turn in the Dominican Republic: A catamaran carrying more than 50 cruise passengers sank. Serious accusations are now being made.
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- An excursion catamaran carrying passengers from "Mein Schiff 1" has sunk off the coast of the Dominican Republic.
- All guests were rescued in a large-scale operation.
- Relatives are accusing the cruise operator of failing to react, while TUI Cruises is in talks with the authorities to clarify the cause.
A day trip in turquoise waters, sunshine over the bay of Samaná - actually a classic for cruise guests on the "Mein Schiff 1". But for more than 50 tourists, the tour ended in a moment of shock last Saturday: according to RTL, the catamaran "Boca de Yuma I", which was traveling on behalf of the cruise ship, suddenly began to take on water and eventually sank completely.
According to the Travelnews portal, the boat got into difficulties just a few kilometers off the coast of the Dominican Republic. Photos and videos show desperate vacationers in life jackets in the sea, while Dominican navy forces arrived and took the group on board. No one was injured - but the scenes give an idea of how narrowly a more serious accident was prevented.
According to RTL, children and elderly travelers were among the passengers. According to this information, the excursion offer had been bookable directly via "Mein Schiff". Some relatives are now accusing the company of not reacting or not even knowing about the accident.
Cause is currently completely unclear
TUI Cruises rejects the accusations. A spokeswoman confirmed toBildthat it was an externally operated boat: "The excursion catamaran from an external provider sank during an excursion." The company is in close contact with the provider and the local authorities in order to clarify the background. The safety of the guests has top priority.
The cause of the water ingress remains unclear and is the subject of an ongoing investigation. According to RTL, the incident occurred within sight of the "Mein Schiff 1", which then continued its journey as planned - next destination: Jamaica.
In RTL reports, one group of passengers speaks of a "moment of chaos" on the open sea. Others praised the quick reaction of the Dominican rescuers, who were at the scene of the accident within minutes.
One thing is certain: The incident raises questions about the safety of external provider excursions - an area that is also a recurring topic of discussion in the cruise industry.
