A Royal Caribbean passenger was “sliced open” after a waterslide failed on the line’s Icon of the Seas.
The man was vacationing on the Icon of the Seas while the ship traveled between Miami and Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, on Thursday (August 7).
He was sliding down the “frightening bolt” slide when a section cracked, creating a jagged edge.
Witnesses say the passenger suffered lacerations to his back and legs.
Footage posted to social media shows water gushing from the damaged section of the slide.
Another video captures the immediate aftermath, with people shouting, “oh my God.”
Others can be heard urging people not to use the attraction, shouting: “Stop the slide!”
In a different clip, an Icon of the Seas guest said the slide was on the ship’s 16th floor.
Zoomed-in views of the break revealed what appeared to be a large hole in the slide.
Royal Caribbean has issued a response about the incident on the world’s biggest cruise ship.
“The slide remained closed for the rest of the voyage while engineers assessed the damage,” the company said.
“The company has not provided a timeline for reopening and is investigating whether the failure was due to a manufacturing defect, installation issue, or an unexpected impact.”
Royal Caribbean added that other pools and water attractions on board remained open.
Passengers noted an increase in visible safety checks across the ship in the days following the incident.
The passenger was going down one of the Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas’ waterslides when the horror unfolded (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Further, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said: “The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority.“
The statement continued: “To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines.”
In an earlier company statement, Royal Caribbean confirmed a man was injured and said its team “provided medical care” after “acrylic glass broke off a water slide as the guest passed through the slide.”
“The water slide is closed for the remainder of the sailing pending an investigation,” the cruise line added.