Facebook/Kelly Schissell
Tragedy struck when a ferry carrying cruise ship passengers to the Blue Lagoon Island in the Bahamas began to sink in rough waters… ultimately claiming the life of an elderly American woman.
Terrifying footage captured on camera showed panicked passengers clinging to the double-decker ship as it tipped dangerously to one side on Tuesday, with some appearing to fall over the side of the unbalanced vessel.
Facebook/Kelly Schissell
In harrowing scenes, tourists were also seen jumping into the rough ocean to escape the sinking ferry… which police say resulted in the death of a 75-year-old woman from Colorado.
The woman’s name has not been released, nor has the cause of death.
Shortly after the disaster, an American tourist shared a video on TikTok Kelly Schissell recounted the incident … saying they didn’t realize something was wrong until a crying crew member ran on deck to get a life jacket.
In fact, the crew was in a state of hysteria and unable to instruct the passengers on what to do, but Kelly said they all managed to put on life jackets and move to the top of the boat.
When they saw a man jumping into the rough water, they all followed suit… but some had trouble keeping their heads above the water, even with their life jackets on.
Rescue boats soon arrived and gathered everyone to safety…Kelly boarded a fishing boat that happened to be in the right place at the right time.
TikTok / @kellyswitz
Kelly said she took matters into her own hands upon arriving at the Blue Lagoon, directing everyone to a nearby pavilion for a head count.
Two other passengers were reportedly taken to hospital for treatment.
The privately owned vessel, part of a tour operator’s package for cruise lines docked in the Bahamas, set sail from Nassau’s Paradise Island at 9:20 a.m. but began encountering unexpected waves less than two hours later.