Boy, 6, drowns in pool of Carnival cruise ship

MIAMI — A 6-year-old boy drowned in one of the pools aboard a Carnival Cruise Lines ship while at sea, the company said in a statement Monday.

The Carnival Victory was on the last leg of a four-day Caribbean cruise Sunday when the boy drowned in the midship pool. He was at the pool area with other family members at the time, the statement said.

“To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time a child has drowned aboard one of our ships,” Carnival spokeswoman Joyce Oliva said in email to The Associated Press.

The ship arrived Monday morning at Port Miami. There were 3,094 guests on the ship and approximately 1,100 staff members, Carnival said.

The Miami-Dade Police Department was investigating the drowning and identified the boy as Qwentyn Hunter of Winter Garden, Fla. Investigators said the boy was with his 10-year-old brother in the pool at the time. Passengers immediately pulled the boy from the water and began CPR, but the child was pronounced dead at the scene.

The drowning appeared to be accidental and foul play was not suspected, police said.