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Coast Guard searches for woman missing from cruise ship
Associated Press and Sun-Sentinel.com Posted December 11 2005, 12:10 PM EST
NASSAU, Bahamas -- A U.S. Coast Guard plane was searching Sunday for a Canadian woman who may have fallen overboard from a Florida-based cruise ship off the Bahamas, an official said.
Jill Begora, 59, was reported missing by her husband Saturday morning as the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Jewel of the Sea pulled into Nassau, the Bahamian capital, Coast Guard spokesman Dana Warr said.
The ship's crew searched the vessel for Begora before filing a missing person's report with the Coast Guard Saturday night, according to a Coast Guard statement.
"They did a full ship search and there was no evidence that she had left the ship in Nassau," leading authorities to believe she may have fallen overboard, Warr said.
A Coast Guard C-130 plane was conducting an overhead search about 25 miles northeast of Nassau, the area where the ship was when Begora was first reported missing, Warr said. A Coast Guard helicopter found no sign of the woman Saturday evening.
"Generally in cruise ships if people come up missing we have a pretty good idea of where they potentially could be," Warr said.
The cruise ship arrived early Sunday in Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades, where Coast Guard officials conducted an onboard investigation, the Coast Guard said. The findings will be turned over to the FBI.
The last person who went missing from a cruise ship in the Southeast was a 54-year-old Virginia man who disappeared from a Carnival ship in November 2004.
Rich
A 59-year-old Canadian woman is missing from the Royal Caribbean International ship Jewel of the Seas. The woman was last seen by her husband at approximately 9 a.m. Saturday. The husband reported his wife missing at approximately 1 p.m. Numerous onboard announcements were made and a full ship search was conducted, without success. Royal Caribbean notified the U.S. Coast Guard, the FBI, Bahamian and Canadian authorities. Saturday morning Jewel of the Seas was sailing to Nassau, Bahamas, where it docked at approximately 11:30 a.m. Upon departing Nassau Saturday, Jewel of the Seas retraced its course into that port, searching for the woman. Jewel of the Seas was assisted in the search by two other cruise ships in the area. Royal Caribbean is providing assistance to the husband and is fully cooperating with the investigating agencies. Our thoughts and prayers go out to this family during this difficult time.
Pam
Gordonhttp://cruisingator.smugmug.com/
quote:Originally posted by Frosty 4:Two things come to mind when someone comes up missing.-- someone who was overserved, .----someone who has a severe medical problem...What do you think??F4
I do not think it is possible to fall of a cruise ship by accident. Most incidents feature two factors; 1) Alcohol and 2) The passenger doing something silly like walking on the railings.
I don't think we can blame the bar staff. How can they know if someone is merry, depressed or about to sit on their balconly rail?
quote:Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:I do not think it is possible to fall of a cruise ship by accident. Most incidents feature two factors; 1) Alcohol and 2) The passenger doing something silly like walking on the railings.
Agree Malcolm ... but I would add a third possibility ... "foul play".
A cruise ship seems to be a pretty good place to commit a murder, if that is your intent.
Ernie
Jonathan
quote:Originally posted by eroller:Agree Malcolm ... but I would add a third possibility ... "foul play".A cruise ship seems to be a pretty good place to commit a murder, if that is your intent.Ernie
Congress Looks at Cruise Dangers
Updated 1:16 PM ET December 13, 2005
Thinking about booking a cruise for your next vacation? If you are, the FBI says you should also think about protecting yourself from a violent crime while you are on the ship.
Today on Capitol Hill, two subcommittees are holding a joint hearing focusing on cruise-ship crimes and disappearances. One case that will draw attention is that of Jill Begora.
The 59-year-old Canadian was last seen by her husband Saturday morning when Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas approached the Port of Nassau in the Bahamas. Despite a search by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Bahamian Navy, when the ship returned to its homeport in Florida on Sunday, there was no trace of Begora.
"It's just too much to comprehend," said Thomas Begora, a relative. "I hope everything's all right. But you know how these are sometimes."
In the last five years, the FBI has opened more than 300 cases of crime on the high seas. With sexual assault being the most prevalent type of crime on cruise ships, women and minors appear to be the most vulnerable passengers. Forty-five percent of the FBI cases were sexual assaults; 22 percent involved physical assaults. Missing-persons cases accounted for 10 percent of the reported crimes. In 75 percent of those cases, a body was never found.
The numbers released by the FBI have relatives and lawmakers pointing the finger at the cruise-ship industry.
"The bottom line is we are suspicious, candidly, that there's some huge problem in the cruise industry," said Rep. Chris Shays, R-Conn. "We think that people are not aware of some of the challenges and some of the potential problems they encounter."
The FBI's ability to assist Americans who become victims of crime in international waters depends on several factors: the type of crime that was committed, where the ship was when the crime was committed, where the ship departed, where the ship will arrive, and under which nation's laws the ship is registered. Other factors include the victim's nationality, international law, and the United States' relationship with other affected countries.
The cruise-ship industry, however, says its record on safety and security is enviable.
In 1995, the Coast Guard published a report that said "passenger vessels operating from U.S. ports are among the safest modes of transportation available," according to J. Michael Crye, president of the International Council of Cruise Lines, an industry trade association.
"I know of no reason for this opinion to have changed in the past 10 years," he said.
But today's hearing is clearly an attempt by lawmakers and relatives to make the industry toughen its security measures and take on more responsibility.
The Smith family would like to see that happen.
George Smith IV disappeared on his honeymoon in the Mediterranean last July aboard a Royal Caribbean ship. His family is convinced that he was killed because witnesses heard screaming and there was blood on the ship's deck. The Connecticut man was never found, and his family is planning to sue Royal Caribbean, accusing the cruise line of hindering the investigation.
"We can't hold a funeral," said Smith's sister Bree.
"As far as Royal Caribbean is concerned, they would merely have another drunk falling [in] the water, nothing we could do about it. And that's not good enough. And we're gonna make changes so this does not happen to another family," she said.
Ten million Americans are expected to travel on vessels that navigate through international waters this year.
It would be interesting to compare crime statistics for people staying at land resorts; it must be high considering some of the islands and other destinations people go to. And I'm sure that crime is much higher wherever people are coming from, whether it's New York or a small rural community.
But crimes on cruise ships make for sensational headlines and news stories--we certainly see lots of that here in South Florida!
Posted on Wed, Dec. 14, 2005CRUISE LINESFamily sues Royal CaribbeanThe parents of a missing cruise ship worker filed suit against Miami-based Royal Caribbean, in yet another case calling into question the industry's safety practices.BY AMY MARTINEZaemartinez@herald.comThe parents of a cruise ship worker who disappeared from Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas have filed a $10 million lawsuit accusing the Miami-based company of not doing enough to find their son.Symon Dias, 29, was a cabin steward aboard Majesty of the Seas in March when he disappeared somewhere between the Bahamas and Key West. His body has not been found, and he is presumed dead.His parents, Maria and Natividade Dias, say in a suit filed Monday in Miami-Dade Circuit Court that Royal Caribbean refused to stop the ship and return to the area where Dias is believed to have gone overboard. Instead, they say, Royal Caribbean posted black-and-white fliers with Dias' photograph and delayed notifying the U.S. Coast Guard.Royal Caribbean said in a statement Tuesday it extends its sympathies to the Dias family but because of the lawsuit, it's ``somewhat limited in what we are permitted to comment on.''The Dias lawsuit is one of at least three cases involving disappearances to be brought against cruise ship companies in the past two months. A fourth lawsuit is expected soon from the family of Connecticut honeymooner George Smith, who disappeared during a Royal Caribbean cruise in the Mediterranean last summer.The lawsuits are putting a spotlight on cruise ship safety. U.S. lawmakers conducted hearings Tuesday focused on missing passenger cases and a recent pirate attack against a Carnival Corp. ship off the coast of Somalia.At the hearings, members of Congress said the United States should require reporting of crimes on cruise ships. Connecticut Republican Christopher Shays said reporting is now complicated because U.S. laws may not apply on cruises that don't call in domestic ports.The Federal Bureau of Investigation has just 305 reports of crimes in the past five years aboard cruise ships, including 25 deaths, Assistant Director Chris Swecker said at the hearing. He said he had no way to confirm that all crimes were being disclosed and favored required reports.However, Tennessee Republican John Duncan said such rules may not be needed, with an annual average of only 60 reported crimes on cruise ships for 10 million passengers.Dias worked as a cabin steward for Royal Caribbean from April 2002 to March 16 of this year, the last day he was seen, according to the suit. His parents say they spoke with Dias on March 12 and he seemed happy. They suspect foul play.Their Miami lawyer, Luis A. Perez, contends Royal Caribbean violated U.S. Maritime Law by not making an attempt at search and rescue once Dias was reported missing.Royal Caribbean said it realized Dias was missing about 9 a.m. March 17 after he failed to report to duty. It then searched the ship. At 11:30 a.m., it contacted the Coast Guard, which conducted an air search.Another lawsuit was filed last month against Royal Caribbean by the parents of a Massachusetts woman who disappeared during an Alaskan cruise in August 2004.Marrian Lynn Carver was last seen in her cabin by a steward. The suit contends Royal Caribbean failed to investigate her disappearance and then covered it up.Royal Caribbean said it contacted the FBI after her parents reported her missing and fired the steward's supervisor, who had been told of her ''infrequent cabin use'' but failed to take action. Royal Caribbean also said Carver suffered severe emotional problems and probably committed suicide.The family of a missing Wisconsin woman also filed suit last month against Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines.The suit says Carnival could have prevented the presumed death of Annette Mizener if security officers had been paying attention to a surveillance camera near the area where her belongings were found. Carnival said it has excellent security measures in place for its passengers.Meanwhile, the Smith family argues Royal Caribbean failed to prevent their son's disappearance and then passed it off as an unfortunate accident. Royal Caribbean said it acted appropriately.
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