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A Royal Caribbean cruise ship rescued a group of people stranded on a ramshackle raft floating in the waters between Mexico and Cuba over the weekend, according to reports.
The Enchantment of the Seas cruise was heading west in the Yucatan Channel on Sunday evening when it happened upon the group of travelers in a haphazard, crumbling raft, NBC News reported.
“Our crew identified individuals in distress in international waters, provided medical care to those who were rescued, and worked closely with the Mexican Coast Guard,” the Royal Caribbean Group said in a statement to the outlet.
Jeffrey Walker and his family, who were aboard the cruise ship, noticed a “little white flashing light” while strolling on the 990-foot-long ship’s promenade, the station reported.
“The ship started to turn and the captain announced that we were going to investigate if they needed help,” Walker, 40, told NBC.
“As we approached, it was clear their raft was falling apart.”
The raft held roughly 10 people and was reportedly “losing pieces.”
The ship deployed two drones toward the deteriorating raft to check it out and ensure it was safe.
The crew then ventured out on a lifeboat to save the stranded group.
In a video posted to Facebook, Walker captured the moment the lifeboat inched toward the raft in the swaying waters.
Everyone was eventually rescued and brought aboard the cruise ship, the outlet reported.
The captain of the cruise ship then announced to passengers that all the individuals rescued were in good health, Walker recalled.
“It was a very surreal, very exciting, very scary thing all at once,” Walker said.
“Their raft didn’t have much time left. Our ship wasn’t even supposed to be there,” he added, since the ship’s five-day journey was moved off course due to Hurricane Imelda.
The Royal Caribbean Group did not respond to The Post’s request for comment by the time of publication.
