19-Year-Old Passenger Goes Overboard on Caribbean Cruise
A 19-year-old passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship went overboard in the Caribbean on Tuesday, sparking an ongoing search operation. The cruise line, as well as the passenger’s family, has confirmed the incident.
The missing passenger has been identified as Sigmund Ropich, a resident of Texas. Despite the efforts of the family to get updates, they claim to have received little information from the Cuban Border Guard officials, who are leading the search.
In a statement to CNN, Ropich’s sister, Savannah, expressed their desperation for answers and stated, “We just want our brother home. They’re taking too long and barely telling us anything.”
The Royal Caribbean ship, Wonder of the Seas, departed from Port Canaveral, Florida, on August 27 for a seven-day voyage in the western Caribbean. It is still unclear how Ropich went overboard or how long he was in the water before the search began. The ship’s crew launched a search and rescue operation immediately and is collaborating with local authorities.
Jenna Izzo, a resident of Rhode Island who was also on the cruise ship, managed to capture a voice recording of the captain notifying passengers about the search. The captain informed the passengers over the intercom, saying, “We actually have a report of a man overboard. We have slowed the ship down.”
The recording further revealed that the ship turned around and retraced its path to begin search and rescue operations. Izzo also recorded video footage showing the ship’s spotlight being used by the rescue crew during the nighttime search. According to Izzo, the ship searched for three hours before resuming its journey to Grand Cayman.
Currently, the Cuban Border Guard has taken over the search efforts, according to Ropich’s sister and a spokesperson from the US Coast Guard. Savannah Ropich mentioned that the US Consulate informed the family that the Cuban Border Guard would be focusing on coastal and land searches, discontinuing the ocean search.
CNN has attempted to reach out to Cuban Border Guard officials for more information but has not received a response at this time.
The Royal Caribbean ship, with a guest capacity of 5,606, is expected to return to Port Canaveral on September 3, according to the company.