Horror as dad jumps off 14-storey Disney cruise ship to save child

A father jumped off a Disney cruise ship to save his young daughter after she plunged into the ocean from the fourth deck, triggering panic and horror among passengers. The terrifying incident happened on Sunday afternoon aboard the Disney Dream as it returned to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after a four-day voyage around the Bahamas.

Witnesses said the girl appeared to fall after her father lifted her near a railing to take a photo. Without hesitation, he leapt overboard after her. Passenger Laura Amador told CBS News: "The ship was moving quickly-so quickly, it's crazy how fast the people became tiny dots in the sea. Then you lost sight of them."

A man-overboard alert was issued over the ship's loudspeakers and the captain immediately slowed the vessel and turned it around. Crew members deployed a rescue boat and the pair were pulled from the water after around 10 minutes.

Footage shared on social media shows relieved passengers cheering as the girl and her father were brought safely back on board.

Passenger Gar Frantz told NBC News: "We watched it, you could see two little things... it was crazy, it was horrific."

Passenger Kevin Furuta wrote in a Facebook post: "Thankfully the Disney Cruise Line rescue team was on it immediately and both were saved!"

In a statement, Disney said: "We commend our crew members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes."

The Disney Dream, which has 14 decks and a capacity of 4,000 passengers, continued on to Florida as scheduled.

The US Coast Guard has not commented.

Cruise ship falls are rare-and rescues rarer. A 2019 industry report said only nine of 25 people who fell overboard that year were saved.