Passenger Speaks Out After 4-Year-Old Boy Drowns On Norwegian Cruise Line Ship
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- More details are starting to emerge about the drowning of a 4-year-old boy on board a cruise ship that sailed out of Manhattan last week.
The boy and his 6-year-old brother were pulled from a swimming pool aboard the Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship off the North Carolina coast last Monday.
Passenger Speaks Out After 4-Year-Old Boy Drowns On Norwegian Cruise Line Ship
Cruise passenger Kelly Eastwood, 41, of Northridge, Mass. told 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera she was at the pool area with her 8-year old son and husband when the drowning occurred.
"I looked up and I heard screams and everybody was looking around the pool," Eastwood said.
She and other passengers gave the boys CPR until a nurse and medic arrived about seven minutes after the boys were pulled out of the pool, Eastwood said.
"I know CPR, so I got up and ran over there, and I started working on the 6-year-old," she said.
Eastwood told Rivera that she was horrified by the cruise ship's lack of rescue readiness.
There were no lifeguards on the pool deck and none of the staff, including security personnel, bartenders and waiters, present at the time of the incident knew CPR or rushed over to help, Eastwood said.
The older boy survived, but his 4-year-old brother could not be saved.
"If somebody had known CPR around there maybe they could've jumped in sooner," Eastwood said.
She said the cruise went on as scheduled and most passengers were not aware of the drowning.
"It was all just very hush-hush," Eastwood said. "As soon as they pulled them away from the pool area and the security people were clearing them away, they opened the pools right back up."
The ship docked in New York City on Sunday.
Norwegian said in an email response: "All of Norwegian Cruise Line's crew members are trained in first aid which includes CPR."
The FBI is investigating the incident.
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