On Monday, July 31, a 64-year-old woman went missing after reportedly falling off the Spectrum of the Seas Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
Reeta Sahani and her husband Jakesh Sahani were on vacation on the cruise voyage traveling from Malaysia to Singapore.
Jakesh Sahani, 70, awoke in the middle of the night to find his wife absent from their cabin.
Upon detection of an overboard incident by the vessel’s detection system, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center was notified at approximately 7:50 am Monday, leading to an immediate search and rescue operation in the Singapore Strait, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
The Spectrum of the Seas, a colossal ship with a capacity of around 4,900 passengers, was returning from a four-day round-trip cruise to Malaysia.
Reeta’s son, Apoorv Sahani, 39, who was not on the cruise, has expressed doubts about suspicions that his mother jumped overboard. He believes there is a possibility she might still be on the ship, possibly “stuck” somewhere. Finding it hard to believe that she intentionally went overboard, Apoorv Sahani has urged access to the ship’s CCTV footage to clear up the situation.
Speaking to a news outlet, Apoorv said that his mother, who hailed from India like the rest of the family, was not a swimmer and was on the cruise to enjoy her holiday.
In response to the incident, Royal Caribbean promptly informed local authorities and began a search and rescue operation. The company’s Care team is offering support to the family during this time. However, for the sake of privacy, the cruise company has refrained from sharing additional details.
This event is not the first of its kind for Royal Caribbean. In June, a 42-year-old woman was rescued after falling off another one of the company’s ships, Mariner of the Seas, while on a trip from Florida to the Dominican Republic.
As the search continues, the maritime community hopes for a safe outcome. Spectrum of the Seas resumed its schedule as planned on Monday evening.