Carnival Cruise Lines: 60 Passengers Hurt In Buoy Incident

Passengers Hurt As Cruise Ship Tries To Avoid Buoy

At least 60 passengers aboard Ecstasy cruise ship owned by Carnival Cruise Lines have been hurt on Wednesday when the ship was making a sharp turn to avoid a large buoy that was adrift in the Gulf of Mexico near Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The ship had to make a sharp maneuver to avoid running into the buoy. The maneuver caused the ship to tilt to one side for several minutes.  It is reported that the damage to the ship, as well as some objects and merchandise on board has been minor. The ship has safely docked in Galveston, Texas, today. No passengers required further emergency medical assistance upon ship's arrival at the port.

It is reported that the buoy was mostly submerged and was not detected by the ship's radar systems. The ship was on the final leg of a five-day trip, having left the dock in Galveston on Saturday, April 17. US Coast Guard has been informed of the incident. It is not clear if any actions will be taken to track down and remove the buoy that has caused the incident.

Passengers are now speaking out about the incident. Some say the maneuver caused people on board to panic. Some passengers report the ship was tilted for 10 minutes.

Carnival Cruise Lines released a statement apologizing for "the distress and discomfort" that the incident has caused its guests -- "The safety, comfort and care of our guests and crew is our top priority."