Carnival Ecstasy Makes Sharp Turn—Injures 60

April 22, 2010 (by Horatio Algren) According to reports by a cruise ship lawyer, there were at least 60 passengers aboard the Carnival Ecstasy cruise ship injured Wednesday according to the Miami Carnival Cruise Lines.

The Carnival Cruise Lines stated Thursday that dozens of passengers were injured aboard the Carnival Ecstasy when the ship was forced to make a sharp turn. The cruise ship made a sharp turn off the coast of Mexico in order to avoid colliding with a buoy.

According to Carnival Cruise Lines spokeswoman Jennifer De La Cruz there were 60 passengers that were slightly injured and one crew member, along with some unsecured objects aboard the ship that were damaged.

De La Cruz stated at the time of the incident the ship was carrying 2,340 passengers and 900 crew members. The accident occurred when the ship was returning to its Galveston port and was traveling off the Yucatan coast of Mexico, when there were partially submerged buoys spotted in the water.

The ship was forced to make a sharp turn to avoid the buoys and crew members did not have time to warn passengers.

Passenger Patrice Edwards has stated that the cruise ship rocked and then tilted to one side for several minutes. Edwards and her husband were sleeping and rolled out of their bed hitting the floor, the boat was leaning to the side. She also stated that you could hear people in cabins falling and crashing to the floor.

Edwards said that upon opening their door they could see everyone running back to their rooms to get their life rafts and the crew was running with people on stretchers.

The cruise ship Ecstasy returned to Galveston port in the morning and Carnival Cruise Lines issued a statement Thursday apologizing to the passengers aboard the ship.

The apology stated Carnival sincerely apologizes for the distress and discomfort the incident caused the guests aboard the ship, safety and comfort of passengers and crew members is their top priority.

The Ecstasy offers 4 and 5 night cruises from Galveston and prior to sailing from Galveston was based at the Port of Miami. While based there it caught on fire when leaving the port in July of 1998, and after extensive repairs was put back into service in Galveston.