Five Jamaicans say they drifted on their small boat in the Caribbean for three weeks before being rescued by a cruise ship.
The Island Princess came to the men’s rescue on Monday and brought the group on board in a 45-minute operation.
“We noticed the boat slowing down,” said passenger Andy Greenberg of Omaha, Nebraska.
“We pulled up and the occupants were screaming: ‘No food, no water.'”
Mr Greenberg said the motor on the boat had broken down.
The Jamaicans told cruise workers they were on their way to a barbecue and ran out of fuel, according to Princess Cruises spokeswoman Susanne Ferrull.
She did not know their condition or ages.
The Island Princess left Fort Lauderdale a week ago and was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday in Ocho Rios in Jamaica.
The Jamaicans asked the cruise workers to give them fuel so they could continue on their way, but that is not the company’s usual procedure.
The cruise captain notified the Jamaican authorities and then passengers about the rescue over the ship’s public address system.
The Coast Guard declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Source: AP
