A 10-year-old Singaporean boy was pronounced dead shortly after being found “unresponsive” in a swimming pool aboard a cruise ship docked in Malaysia on Monday.
According to Newsweek, the victim, who was traveling with his mother and a friend, died on Dream Cruises’ Genting Dream cruise ship, which was in the midst of a three-day sailing from Singapore to Phuket, Thailand.
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The ship, which was carrying approximately 3,000 passengers, was docked at Star Cruise Jetty in Langkawi, Malaysia at the time of the incident.
“Initial investigation found the victim was believed to have drowned while bathing in the pool. A pool attendant and many other visitors were bathing in the pool but failed to rescue the victim. Police have statements of witnesses and pool attendant to facilitate investigation,” Langkawi district police chief Superintendent Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim told news agency Bernama.
Dream Cruises said that first responders administered CPR but were unsuccessful.
“Dream Cruises confirms a boy was found unresponsive in one of the swimming pools aboard Genting Dream on November 18. The ship departed from Singapore on November 17, 2019 for a three-night cruise,” a spokesperson for parent company Genting Cruise Lines told Newsweek.
“The on-board responding medical team immediately provided medical and resuscitation assistance including administering CPR and despite all efforts, Dream Cruises is saddened to confirm the boy had passed away,” the company added. “Dream Cruises is cooperating with the authorities on the reported incident and providing all the necessary assistance to the family members in this time of difficulty. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased and we offer our sincerest condolences.”
The boy’s body was transported to a local hospital and the ship continued on to Thailand several hours later.
Monday’s tragic discovery comes less than one month after a 12-year-old German boy died suddenly aboard a cruise ship in the Mediterranean.
