Cruise Ship Rescues 5 After Drifting for Weeks

A Princess Cruises ship, the Island Princess, rescued five Jamaicans who claimed to be drifting in the Caribbean for about three weeks in a small boat.

The Island Princess brought the group on board, unsure of their conditions and identities at the moment. The luxury liner left Fort Lauderdale one week ago and was heading to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. They were expected to arrive on Tuesday.

The passengers from the stricken vessel told Princess crewmembers that they were on their way to a barbeque and ran out of gas. They continued on, asking for fuel to continue on their way, but that is not a practice that the employees were comfortable with. The Island Princess took the stranded boaters aboard and notified officials in Jamaica.

The captain of the cruise ship notified passengers about the small boat earlier Monday on the loudspeaker, as they noted the decreased speed aboard the Island Princess. According to the Vancouver Sun, one passenger heard screams for help; others heard that the motor on the boat broke down.

The entire rescue took less than 45 minutes. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation.