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An elderly Carnival cruise passenger died in a tragic accident when she “lost control” of her mobility scooter and plunged over the edge of a pier in the Bahamas on Saturday, authorities said.
The 88-year-old woman plunged into the water just before noon while the Carnival Celebration ship was docked at a port at Celebration Key, the cruise line’s exclusive island in the Bahamas.
A spokesperson for Carnival confirmed the passenger’s death in a statement.
“Carnival teams responded, successfully retrieving her from the water. Despite resuscitation efforts, she did not survive,” the cruise line wrote.
“Our thoughts are with her family,” it added.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force separately announced that they are investigating the death of an 88-year-old American woman who “reportedly lost control” of a mobility scooter “and drove off the pier.”
Authorities are probing her death as a suspected drowning, but noted “she is believed to have struck her head against the hull of the vessel before entering the water,” the release said.
Edward and Linsy Egersheim, two passengers who witnessed the woman’s fatal fall, told Miami outlet WSVN that she appeared to suffer a heart attack before she plummeted off the pier.
“It’s vacation, you don’t expect bad things to happen, but definitely getting back on the boat was really sad, I mean, we walked past the scooter and all you could think about is that poor lady,” Linsy said.
Edward said that a man he suspected was the victim’s husband “tried to do what he could” to help her, but wound up “hurting himself as well.”
The Carnival Celebration was at the tail-end of a weeklong round-trip from Florida to several Caribbean islands. It embarked on a new voyage on Sunday, according to CruiseMapper.
The cruise line’s private island is no stranger to tragedy.
In August 2025, two Carnival passengers, a 79-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman, drowned mere hours apart on the island.
The $600 million Caribbean getaway destination had opened less than a month prior.
English (US)