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A 64-year-old Indian woman, who was on board a cruise ship sailing through the Strait of Singapore from Penang, the northern island state of Peninsular Malaysia, has died, her family said on Tuesday a day after she was reported “missing”. Reeta Sahani’s family had sought help from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) after they accused the cruise company of “washing their hands off”.
Reeta and her husband Jakesh Sahani were traveling on the Spectrum of the Seas cruise operated by Royal Caribbean. They were on their way back to Singapore from Penang on Monday, which was also the last day of their four-day cruise.
Jakesh, 70, woke up to discover that his wife was missing from their room, according to a report by The Straits Times.
Despite his efforts, the retiree was unable to locate his wife on the sprawling cruise ship. Subsequently, he informed the ship’s crew about the situation. They, in turn, informed him that the ship’s overboard detection systems had been activated, indicating that something had fallen from the vessel into the Singapore Strait.
The busy route known as the Singapore Strait is 113 kilometers long and 19 kilometers wide. It lies between the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea, with Singapore situated to the north of the channel.
Cruise “washing their hands off”
In a tweet, Jakesh’s son, Apoorv Sahani, who wasn’t on the cruise in a tweet stated that while the cruise staff claimed that she jumped, they have not shown them any footage and are “washing their hands off” from the matter.
1/2 My mother was travelling in Royal Carrribean cruise (spectrum of the seas) from Singapore. She has gone missing from the ship since this morning. Cruise staff are saying she jumped, but they have not shown us any footage and are washing their hands off @DrSJaishankar— Apoorv Sahani (@SahaniApps) July 31, 2023
The 39-year-old architect said the cruise didn’t carry out any rescue operation and off-boarded his father. Accusing the company of being “inhumane” he requested urgent help from the Indian government.
Indian Government Responds
The Indian High Commission in a series of tweets said it is in “constant touch with the Sahani family since the news of the unfortunate incident reached us”. It is also in close contact with Singaporean authorities to address related issues and is facilitating legal procedures.
The mission said it has also reached out to the India head of the Royal Caribbean cruise company to extend all cooperation. “We remain fully committed to supporting the family in this testing time,” the High Commission said.
My Mother Couldn’t Swim, Says Son
Speaking to the publisher, he said his mother could not swim, and that his father was made to go through an interview with the police that lasted a few hours.
“We have asked to see the CCTV footage, but, so far, we have not received anything yet for us to confirm that it was her. All we know is that the ship’s crew thinks she jumped into the water,” Apoorv was quoted as saying.
Explaining his father’s off-boarding, he said while Jakesh was asked to leave, Apoorv said his mother could be stuck somewhere. “Eventually my father was told to get down from the ship because there was another cruise that was going to take place, but we think she may still be on the ship, stuck somewhere,” he said.
“She was on a holiday enjoying herself and then this whole thing happened. It does not make sense,” he added.
Investigations Commence
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) issued a statement stating that the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Singapore was notified about the incident at approximately 7.50 am on Monday. The incident involved a passenger on board the Cyprus-flagged Spectrum of the Seas who had fallen overboard. However, no further details were provided in the statement.
The vessel was berthed in Singapore earlier to facilitate investigations and departed at approximately 4.30 pm. As per tracking data from the marine tracking website Marine Traffic, the vessel is currently en route to Nha Trang in Vietnam.
A spokesman for Royal Caribbean stated that they reported the incident to local authorities without delay.
In a Tuesday evening update, Apoorv shared, the cruise finally shared the footage and “unfortunately, we have learned that my mother has passed away.” “Thank you for showing your overwhelming support in this time of distress for my family & I will forever be grateful,” he said.
He continued, “Would request you guys to give us some privacy as we mourn her loss. Ironically, today is also her birthday.”
According to cruise tracking website CruiseMapper, Spectrum of the Seas is the first Royal Caribbean cruise ship belonging to the Quantum-Ultra class a larger and upgraded version of the Quantum-class.
(With inputs from PTI)
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