NEW ORLEANS – Somber and solemn passengers unloaded off the Carnival Triumph in New Orleans Thursday morning after what was supposed to be a fun vacation turned tragic.
“Really sad, I must say. Very sad,” passenger Anke Tonn said. “It was very sad to hear there was a loss of life.”
Officials say a woman, later identified by family members as 44-year-old Juwanna Brooks of Acadiana, went overboard in the Gulf of Mexico on the second day of the cruise Sunday night.
“The alarm went off — beep beep beep — the lights went off,” Doug Rimmer said.
Guests say search efforts began immediately. The Carnival deployed jet skis and boats. Eventually Mexican authorities took over.
“We were in the middle of playing a trivia game and then everyone just started panicking and running. It was kind of crazy,” Tina Astin said.
The ship stayed in the same spot the rest of the night, and most of the next day, roughly 13 to 15 hours. Passengers lost a day in Mexico.
Spirits were dampened by the tragedy. Guests were left with lots of questions, searching for answers.
“We heard all kinds of rumors. We don’t really know what happened. If she accidentally fell off, or was taking pictures,” Astin said.
Many were shocked by the tragic turn of events.
“We’ve been on 13 cruises, eight with Carnival, three on this ship. And — we have just never had anything like that happen,” Rimmer said.
Some passengers were frustrated, saying they will never go on a cruise again.
No new information has been released from the company since Sunday. Carnival’s Care Team has been providing support and assistance to the Brooks family.