Two American tourists drowned Friday in separate incidents at Carnival Cruise Line’s newly opened private island in the Bahamas, police said.
According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the deaths occurred at Celebration Cay, a private destination on Grand Bahama that opened July 19.
In the first incident, officers were alerted shortly before noon that a 79-year-old man had become unresponsive while snorkeling at a beach.
Police said a lifeguard pulled him from the water and administered CPR, but he was later pronounced dead by a doctor.
In the second incident, reported shortly after 2:30 p.m., a 74-year-old woman became unresponsive while swimming in a pool, authorities said.
A lifeguard assisted her out of the water, but lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead.
Carnival Cruise Line confirmed the drownings in a statement:
“We are saddened by the loss of our guests. We have trained lifeguards and medical professionals who respond promptly.”
Both victims were U.S. nationals, police said.
Despite the tragedies, travel experts said the vacation island is just as safe as the cruise ship itself.
“These are floating cities and people do have medical, experience medical emergencies. They do have lifeguards, I believe they’re certified lifeguards, on hand and as well as their medical teams and they responded to both passengers,” said Stewart Chiron, a travel expert.
Autopsies will be conducted to determine the exact causes of death.
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