A tour boat in the Bahamas capsized on Tuesday, leaving one US tourist dead. The terrifying ordeal was shared in a viral TikTok video captured by a passenger on the ship. She remained impressively calm as the double-decker ferry tipped into the crystal blue ocean waters.
The ferry was en route from Paradise Island, Nassau, to Blue Lagoon Island when the boat began to rock violently back and forth, and ultimately, passengers had to jump into the choppy waters wearing life vests. Tragically, one woman died, according to a Facebook statement from Blue Lagoon Island.
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The ferry was reportedly transporting travelers from a cruise ship.
The passengers were guests on an unnamed cruise ship, according to the Facebook post. The double-decker ship left its post on Paradise Island around 9:30 a.m. November 14. The boat reportedly started to take on water around 11 a.m. and began to sink.
"Emergency teams from the island quickly arrived to render assistance. Passengers and 5 staff members were located and brought to the island and two passengers were taken to the hospital for additional care. All on board are accounted for," the release reads.
Sadly, one passage did not survive.
Per the Official Nassau Guardian Ltd. (1844) Facebook page, a 75-year-old woman from Bloomdale, Colorado, died in the accident. Her name was not provided, but officials confirmed she was on a five-day vacation with family. According to an autopsy, she did not drown, but her cause of death was not released.
According to the Nassau Guardian via Fox News, the woman's "covered body was lying on the vessel that was used for the rescue, and her husband was crouched over her with his head down caressing her."
A passenger on board took incredible footage of the accident.
Kelly Schissel, who posts on TikTok as @kellyswitz, shared a video of the boat sinking as it was happening. "Our boat is sinking, so that's fun," she says in the clip. The video has amassed 20 million views.
She then pans on the boat, and dozens of passengers are seen standing with life jackets on, presumably waiting for instructions from the crew as to what to do next.
As the footage continues, she says, "I'm on the top floor of a ferry." The video shows the top tier tipped frighteningly close to water. Passengers on the ferry can be heard panicking and yelling.
The video culminates with a terrifying image.
As the TikTok ends, Schissel shows a video of passengers jumping into the ocean toward rescue vessels. She closes the video with an image of the ferry tipped over and submerged in the water.
Schissel posted a follow-up video alleging the captain of the boat was "laughing" because he was trying to "show off" and instead, the boat ride had a devastating end.
She adds, "One of the crew members that was downstairs ran upstairs and was crying, freaking out, absolutely bawling, grabbing a life jacket."
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According to Schissel, the staff was not prepared for this type of emergency.
In the follow-up video, she claims passengers were equipped with life jackets, but staff didn't direct them on what to do next, which was understandably frightening. Schissel explains that many passengers, including herself, jumped into the water, not knowing what would happen. She was able to get onto a fisherman's boat and back to shore, but once again, no one knew what to do.
Schissel says she approached the crying crew member asking what to do next, but the employee allegedly didn't know and started taking Schissel's suggestions.
"I was like, 'What do you want me to tell people?' She's like, 'I don't know.' So I just started suggesting things." Schissel explains.
The whole scenario was terrifying, and Schissel is happy to be alive. The accident is under investigation.
