Authorities have addressed a rumor that a child who fell into the ocean from a Disney Cruise ship had been put on the railing by her father, who dove into the water to save her.
Authorities have spoken out to dispel the online speculation, clarifying key details about the terrifying incident that unfolded aboard a Disney cruise ship off the coast of Florida.
“The little girl was not being held, as erroneously reported on some social media sites,” the Broward County Sheriff’s Office told CBS News Miami on Tuesday. The statement refers to false claims circulating online that the child’s father had lifted her for a photo before she slipped and fell overboard.
As previously reported, the incident occurred Sunday on the Disney Dream as the vessel sailed between the Bahamas and Fort Lauderdale.
After the five-year-old fell into the water, her father immediately jumped in after her and stayed afloat for over 10 minutes until a rescue team arrived, a dramatic effort which was captured on cell phone video.
One fellow passenger defended the father amid the speculation, sharing what a crew member had reportedly told her about the girl’s actions before the fall.
“The crew member who said that’s her station and she was on the fourth floor, she did say that she was climbing up and the parents were playing shuffleboard and the dad jumped in after her,” Monica Shannon told CBS News Miami.
Shannon said she and her own family were on a lower deck, waiting to meet Disney princesses, when the fall happened.
“I just figured it was maybe a part of the show or just the experience, but about five minutes later we heard that someone flew overboard,” she said.
Authorities have said the girl is fortunate to have survived, and credited the quick action of the Disney crew, the New York Times reports.
“Based on media reports I have read, the Disney crew was well prepared. Clearly, their training and readiness paid off because they executed a successful ocean rescue,” the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“While there doesn’t appear to be anything suspicious, Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives are investigating the circumstances that led up to the child falling overboard.
"This family is so blessed. It’s great to be able to respond to good news rather than what could have been a tragic outcome,” the statement continued.