Cruise Ship Passengers Left Stranded After Vessel Departs Without Them
CNN Exclusive: Passengers Abandoned in São Tomé and Príncipe
By Antonio Planas and Meriam Bouarrouj, The Associated Press
A month after eight Norwegian Cruise Line passengers were stranded in Africa when their ship left without them, the passengers are speaking out about their harrowing experience.
The incident occurred on March 8, 2024, when the Icon of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, departed from São Tomé and Príncipe without eight passengers. The passengers, a mix of nationalities, had been on a shore excursion when the ship set sail without them.
The passengers were left stranded on the island with no passports, money, or access to their luggage. They spent the next ten days trying to find a way to return home.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, the passengers said that they were not properly notified that the ship was leaving without them. They said that they had been told that the ship would wait for them, but that they were later informed that it had already departed.
"We were left behind like we were nothing," said one of the passengers. "We had no idea what to do or where to go."
The passengers eventually made it home with the help of the Norwegian Consulate in São Tomé and Príncipe. They are now calling for an investigation into the incident and for Norwegian Cruise Line to take responsibility for their negligence.
Norwegian Cruise Line has not yet commented on the incident.
Comments