FREEPORT, Bahamas – Eight people were injured after a large construction crane fell on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship Monday while the vessel was in dry dock in the Bahamas, company officials said.
Video from the Great Bahamas Shipyard near Freeport shows the crane resting on the side of the company's Oasis of the Seas, according to News 6 sister station WPLG-TV.
"I was right there on the dock working on it, and I just missed it by the grace of God," said the man shooting the video. "Disaster, disaster, disaster, disaster. I’ve never seen anything like this in my lifetime."
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As the ship was out of service and in dry dock, no passengers were on board. However, it was not immediately known how many construction personnel may have been on the ship when the accident occurred.
“We are responding to a construction site incident at the Great Bahamas Shipyard, where Oasis of the Seas is currently in dry dock," the company said in a statement. "As of 1:45 pm EDT, we are accounting for the whereabouts of all site personnel and working with local authorities to determine if there have been any injuries. We are aware of damage to the dock structure and to construction cranes. We are assessing damage to the ship.”
BP BREAKING| Bahamian police on Grand Bahama confirms an accident that occurred at GB Ship Yard.
— Bahamas Press (@Bahamaspress) April 1, 2019
Police nor our teams on the ground can confirm if anyone has been injured... pic.twitter.com/mQ6QXYa3Hw
In a later statement to News 6, Royal Caribbean officials said Shipyard management notified them that eight people were injured in the incident. None of their injuries were considered to be life-threatening, a spokeswoman for the company said.
"Sure there was a noise. There was a loud noise," said Fred Sturrup, managing editor for the Freeport Press.
He told News 6 by phone that the incident happened during the lunch hour.
He said more people may have been injured if it happened during a time when more workers were present.
"It was a major mishap, a major structural mishap," he said. "Just a few minor injuries, so to speak, and if everybody can walk away from something like that all the time, it would be wonderful."
According to the ship's itinerary, the Oasis of the Seas, which sails out of Port Canaveral, finished its last passenger cruise on Sunday. It was reportedly scheduled to be moved to Miami for the fall/winter schedule.
One of the largest ships in the world, the Oasis of the Seas made news in January when it was forced to return to Florida early after nearly 300 guests and crew members were hit with an outbreak of Norovirus.