According to The Washington Post, A Maryland boy nearly drowned in a cruise ship pool Thursday, forcing the ship to turn around and head back to port in New Jersey, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines said in a statement.
The boy, 8, had an accident in one of the Anthem of the Seas’ pools and needed medical attention, so the ship returned to port in Bayonne, N.J. The ship’s first stop was supposed to be in Bermuda and had left port around 4 p.m.
Cynthia Martinez, a spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean, said the boy was discovered in the water shortly after 6 p.m. She said he had been in the pool around 13 minutes, before he was rescued.
The ship’s medical team treated the boy, but he was eventually flown to a hospital on Staten Island, TV stations reported. Photos tweeted by passengers showed emergency boats with flashing lights greeting the ship. The New York Post reported the boy was in critical condition.
The ship was about 10 miles off the coast of Queens, N.Y., when the incident occurred.
Royal Caribbean said it is providing support to his family. The company declined to release additional details about where the boy was from in Maryland.
