A 5-year-old girl is safe after falling overboard a Disney cruise ship—and now authorities are speaking out to shut down viral rumors circulating online.
According to PEOPLE, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the child was not being held by her father on the railing when she fell. Instead, she was sitting on the railing and slipped through a porthole. The incident occurred on Monday morning as the Disney ship was approaching Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Father Heroically Jumps Overboard To Save His Daughter
Officials say the girl’s mother immediately screamed for help after witnessing the fall, which prompted the father—who hadn’t seen it happen—to jump into the ocean to save his daughter.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, PIO Veda Coleman-Wright, clarified what really happened and said that the girl was sitting on a railing and fell through a porthole. She was not being held or placed there by her father as some social media claims suggest.
After the heroic dive, both the father and daughter were swiftly rescued by the Disney crew, who acted with speed and precision. The father, 37, sustained an injury and was taken to a local hospital for treatment once the ship docked.
Disney Crew Applauded for Quick Response
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office praised the cruise staff for their quick action and coordination during the rescue effort. “The Disney crew was well prepared,” they said in a follow-up statement. “Clearly, their training and readiness paid off because they executed a successful ocean rescue.”
The father’s condition has not been publicly released, but the child is reportedly doing well following the terrifying fall. The Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, including how the child came to be sitting on the railing unattended.