Vacations are supposed to be fun and relaxing, but one Carnival Cruise trip turned tragic. A passenger ended up fishing a lifeless body out of the water at a Bahamas luxury resort.
The unfortunate snorkeler sadly died after becoming unresponsive in the water at Celebration Key. The Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) confirmed his passing in a statement. Carnival Cruise passenger John Kopta pulled the victim out of the water after spotting him not moving in the ocean.
His instincts told him that the man needed help.
Carnival Cruise Deaths
"I'm a dad, a grandpa and once the adrenaline kicks in, you're not thinking anything," Kopta recalled to CBS-affiliated station 5News. "My wife and I hopped off and I ran over there about the same time [the other man] got there, and we went down. He grabbed him by the arms, brought him up. I grabbed his legs, brought him up, and he was lifeless at that point."
"At one point, there was 10 lifeguards surrounding, you know, making a perimeter, and all the ones were working on him, and the EMTs came with the sirens on the ATVs on the sand, and I thought they did everything they could," Kopta shared. "I don't think there was, I don't think there was anything that he did that showed that he was drowning."
Meanwhile, another woman ended up dying later that day in a swimming pool as well. It was a chaotic and tragic day for the Carnival Cruise resort.
Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement, "Our lifeguards and medical team responded to two separate water emergency incidents at Celebration Key on Friday — one in the lagoon and one at the beach. Sadly, both guests have passed away. One guest was sailing with family on Mardi Gras and one guest was sailing with family on Carnival Elation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the guests and their families and our Care Team is providing assistance."
