Dozens of passengers were left floating in the middle of the Caribbean Sea after their excursion boat sank mid-tour.
A total of 55 people aboard the catamaran had set off on Sunday, November 9, to watch the sunset over the Dominican Republic when the incident occurred.
“Still scary! Hope everyone is ok?” expressed one worried user on social media.
Highlights
- 55 passengers from a cruise ship were left floating in the Caribbean Sea after their catamaran suddenly sank mid-tour.
- Authorities cited “internal hull damage” as the likely cause, though investigations are still underway.
- All passengers were rescued safely, but one witness claimed frightened tourists received no assistance afterward.
55 passengers from a cruise ship were caught on video floating in the middle of the sea
Image credits: Ships At Sea
The vessel, a 40-foot catamaran named Boca de Yuma 1, was carrying tourists from the Mein Schiff 1 cruise ship for an excursion tour.
According to reports, a sudden leak occurred, causing the boat to sink rapidly.
In a now-viral clip widely shared on social media, dozens of passengers could be seen splashing and struggling in the water as rescuers rushed to the scene.
The 40-foot-long boat reportedly sank after experiencing a sudden leak
Image credits: ivanruiztv
Rescue crews threw multiple life jackets into the water to help struggling passengers and pull them to safety.
Reportedly, people from the community of El Crucero also assisted with the rescue.
The victims included people of all ages, with several elderly passengers and children appearing visibly distraught in the video.
Image credits: ivanruiztv
According to reports, no injuries or fatalities were reported.
Authorities later confirmed that the cause of the sinking was “internal hull damage,” which led to a catastrophic inleak.
In a public statement, the Port Authority of Samaná said, “The excursion catamaran from an external provider sank during an excursion.”
No lives were lost in the incident, and all passengers were rescued safely
Image credits: ivanruiztv
“The Dominican Republic Navy is working closely with local authorities to identify those responsible and implement measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.”
However, one passenger, a relative of a person seen struggling in the water, alleged to German outlet RTL that after the rescue, “frightened passengers were not taken care of” by cruise staff.
“Mein Schiff offered no assistance, or even knew anything about the incident.”
The Dominican Republic Navy has launched an investigation into the matter to prevent such “incident from happening again”
Image credits: Cruise Mapper
So far, authorities have not confirmed a concrete cause, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Officials are examining all possible angles, including whether foul play may have contributed to the leak.
No one has been held accountable for the incident yet.
Image credits: ivanruiztv
Image credits: ivanruiztv
However, one netizen blamed the tourists for their “silly” behavior in boarding a catamaran with so many people.
They wrote, “55 people is too many for a 40 ft catamaran. All these silly, uneducated people going cruising without any clue of practical physics or how gravity affects weight on floating materials.”