Two cruise passengers drown hours apart at newly opened resort

Awful news

Carnival Cruises opened the $600 million resort less than a month ago, but tragedy struck on Friday as two tourists were involved in “water emergency incidents” at Celebration Key on Grand Bahama Island.

The American tourists, who had been travelling on two different cruise ships, were identified as a 79-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman by the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

“Carnival lifeguards and medical teams working at the resort responded to both incidents, one occurring in the lagoon and the other at the beach,” a Carnival Cruise spokesperson told New York Post.

Officials said the man was snorkeling at the beach when he became unresponsive on August 15 at around noon.

A lifeguard brought the man to shore and performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead a short time later.

At 2.30pm on the same day, a woman was found unresponsive in a swimming pool.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the guests and their families and our Care Team is providing assistance,” a Carnival Cruise spokesperson said.

The Carnival Key resort opened on July 19, and features a range of attractions, including the “largest freshwater lagoon in the Caribbean.”