Boy found at bottom of Royal Caribbean cruise ship pool

Jason · May 30, 2014

A six-year-old British boy is fighting for his life in hospital after being found unconscious at the bottom of a swimming pool during a luxury cruise holiday.

The young boy was reportedly found at the bottom of one of the main outdoor pools on the Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas cruise liner.

He was travelling with his parents when the incident occurred as the ship passed off the Breton coast, off the north of France, yesterday.

The six-year-old British boy was reportedly found at the bottom of one of the main outdoor pools on the Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas cruise liner (pictured)

Emergency services were alerted after the youngster was allegedly found unconscious in the crowded pool shortly after lunchtime. His heart had stopped and he was no longer breathing, it was reported.

Yann Bouvard, a spokesman for the maritime prefecture in the port of Brest, said: ‘The child was found in a state of cardio-respiratory arrest at the bottom of the ship's pool.’

He was pulled from the pool and the cruise liner’s on-board doctor carried out CPR, which was successful in getting his heart beating again.

A French Navy NH90 twin-engine helicopter was scrambled to the scene just before 2pm after the ship’s captain raised the alarm to the Operational Centre for Maritime Surveillance and Rescue in Brittany.

The boy was flown to Morvan Hospital in Brest where his condition was last night described as ‘serious’.

It is not known how the incident occurred but it is thought an investigation will be launched into the circumstances surrounding it.

The youngsters’ parents are said to be by his bedside in hospital after joining him on the flight from the luxury cruise ship to the mainland.

A French Navy NH90 twin-engine helicopter was scrambled to the scene just before 2pm yesterday and took the boy to Morvand Hospital in Brest, France (file picture)

Last night, Mr Bouvard described the incident as ‘incomprehensible’ and told The Times: ‘What is terrible is that children can drown without making any noise at all.

‘We’ve never had a case of a boy drowning in a pool on a ship before, but we have, unfortunately, a lot of experience of that happening in pools on land, and we know that it can happen to anyone, anywhere.’

The Independence of the Seas is a 1,112 ft long vessel belonging to US company Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), which sails under the flag of the Bahamas.

According to its website, it is capable of carrying up to 4,375 passengers and 1,360 crew members.

It has three pools, including an adults-only Solarium pool, six whirlpools and a wave machine which it describes as an ‘interactive water park for kids and families filled with geysers, sculpted fountains and waterfalls.’

A seven-night stay on the Freedom-class 15-deck cruise liner for a family of four costs from around £1,600.

The luxury ship is currently on a six-night sail across western Europe, having departed from Southampton on Sunday.

MailOnline has contacted Royal Caribbean International for a statement.

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DebbieandJerry · May 30, 2014

Our thoughts and prayers go out to this family. Such a horrible ordeal to have to go through.

jacketwatch · May 31, 2014

So sad to hear. Pray for the best outcome.

It's hard to understand how this happened in daylight around lunchtime.

Shari2 · June 7, 2014

So very sad...my prayers are with him, and family. My husband saved a young boy from drowning once at a pool party. Marc just happened to be close by and saw him going under, and heard him saying, help...very quietly. No one else even noticed him or knew he was there alone. No one was with the boy...he was a neighbor. It can happen so quickly.

Jan115 · June 7, 2014

So very sad...my prayers are with him, and family. My husband saved a young boy from drowning once at a pool party. Marc just happened to be close by and saw him going under, and heard him saying, help...very quietly. No one else even noticed him or knew he was there alone. No one was with the boy...he was a neighbor. It can happen so quickly.

I'm sure the boy's family was very grateful that Marc was there to save him. The idea that kids drown making a lot of noise with loud splashing screaming for help is not quite true. I imagine once water starts filling the lungs, it's probably difficult to call for help, and thereby go unnoticed by a crowd not particularly focused on the kid in the water. Maybe that's what happened with the boy on the ship.