Tourist drowns in Great Bay – UPDATED
PHILIPSBURG — A female cruise tourist drowned in Great Bay on Monday, December 30, 2019. The elderly woman came to St. Maarten aboard the Queen Mary II, a transatlantic ocean liner that sailed from Southampton, England.
Around one o’clock in the afternoon one of two elderly women who had gone into the water together became unwell. Her friend and travel companion was not able to get her out of the water, she struggled to get to the beach herself. Beach activity vendors went into the sea to help her and get the other woman, who was floating on her back, out of the water.
A beach vendor noticed froth was coming out of the woman’s mouth. He and several others started calling the ambulance. A doctor who happened to be on the beach rushed to the woman and started resuscitation. He got help from two nurses who were also vacationing in St. Maarten.
The ambulance arrived quickly. For over half an hour the doctor and paramedics tried to save the woman’s life. They managed to get her pulse back and rushed her to the St. Maarten Medical Center. She died in the Emergency Room, according to a source at the hospital.
The elderly woman was traveling with three friends. They had booked the Grand Caribbean Celebration, a 26-nights cruise from England to New York and the Caribbean.
OFFICIAL POLICE REPORT #1
Potential Drowning
Police patrols and paramedics were rushed to the beach in Philipsburg on Monday morning December 30th 2019 after getting reports that a visitor had drowned in Great Bay.
On the scene, police officers encountered bystanders, who were applying first aid to a middle age female who was not breathing. According to a family member of the victim with the initials M.V.C, she had entered the water, and at one point was not seen anymore. She was later pulled out of the water by bystanders who were at the location.
Shortly after the paramedics appeared on the scene and continued giving the victim Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). After working on the victim for a few minutes, the paramedics encountered a very faint pulse on the victim. She was then rushed to the Sint Maarten Medical Center by ambulance, for where she is being treated.
The victim, who is a passenger on board Queen Mary 2 that was docked in Philipsburg, is still in critical condition at the Sint Maarten Medical Center.
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[Editor’s note #1: According to a report published in The Daily Herald, around 6:00pm Monday, Police acting spokesperson Inspector Ethelwoldus Josepha confirmed that the woman had succumbed to her injuries and had passed away.]
OFFICIAL POLICE REPORT #2
Update: drowning victim succumbed to her injuries
On Monday December 30th, 2019, around 6:00pm, the Police received the unfortunate news that the lady V.C. who drowned in Philipsburg earlier that day, had succumbed to her injuries at the Sint Maarten medical Center.
The victim who was a national of Antigua & Barbuda was on a cruise visiting Sint Maarten when this tragedy occurred. Condoles goes out to the family and friend of the victim.
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[Editor’s note #2: StMaartenNews.com received an email message from a family member of the victim. The family member informed StMaartenNews.com that the victim was her aunt, M. Charles. In the email message she writes: “Just wanted to thank all the individuals that worked to help save my aunty’s life on Dec. 30, 2019.”]
