Carnival cruise ship rescues 24 people from sinking boat off the coast of Florida
A Carnival ship rescued 24 people off a sinking boat 37 miles off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday.
"Upon seeing the boat in the water, Carnival Sensation maneuvered alongside the craft and provided blankets, life jackets, food and water to the 24 people on board, which included individuals from various nationalities and two children," Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen told USA TODAY in a statement.
"The boat began taking on water and Carnival Sensation rescued all 24 individuals and brought them on board," he added. "They were evaluated by Carnival Sensation’s medical team and were quarantined away from crew members."
After Carnival notified the appropriate authorities, the U.S. Coast Guard dispatched a cutter to pick up the passengers.
Carnival Cruise Line is currently in a pause in its operations with ships at minimum non-operational manning status with limited crew and no guests on board.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its first no-sail order on March 14, barring ships with more than 250 passengers from sailing in U.S. waters.
The current CDC order expires Oct. 31.
However, several cruise lines have canceled itineraries past the Nov. 1 restart date, including Carnival, which scrapped most of its remaining 2020 cruises.
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The cruise line announced in early October it would be canceling November cruises from its home ports of Miami and Port Canaveral, Florida, after initially leaving them on the schedule.
"It has now determined that November 2020 operations will not be feasible," according to a company statement.
Carnival said it is still evaluating options for its December cruises from those ports.
Carnival cancels remaining 2020 cruises: No ships will sail in November
Contributing: Morgan Hines, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carnival cruise ship rescues 24 from sinking boat off Florida coast
