Boy, 12, dies falling from balcony on Royal Caribbean cruise ship while 'playing with new friends'

A 12-year-old boy has tragically died after falling from a cabin balcony aboard Royal Caribbean 's Harmony of the Seas at the weekend.

According to reports, the cruise ship was heading towards Galveston, Texas , when the accident happened on the last night of a seven-day cruise to the Western Caribbean as passengers watched on in horror. The child was on a family vacation to celebrate a birthday, it has been reported.

Witnesses said the boy was playing with friends he met on the trip when he fell from an upper-deck balcony onto the ship's Central Park area, which has restaurants, bars and pubs. Royal Caribbean staff tried to resuscitate the child, while the ship was at sea, but he died before the vessel docked on September 8.

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Sara Tullis, whose daughter had become friends with the boy, wrote on a Facebook page for passengers: "My daughter was friends with him and said he was upset today. She is so upset. I wish I would have known he was struggling today."

Passenger Melissa Anderson said her cabin was on the same deck and noted that balconies were damp after it rained in the afternoon. She said: "It would be difficult to fall if you stand on the ground, but if on the chairs or wet table top anything is possible."

Royal Caribbean confirmed a passenger had died on board but didn't share more details on the incident. Following the tragedy, passengers who were lining up to board the ship for its next cruise were told they would need to wait as an investigation was carried out on board.

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The ship's terminal was closed for several hours while a safety inspection was carried out. The vessel eventually departed late at night and is currently on another Western Caribbean cruise, visiting ports including Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico and the island of Roatán in Honduras.

Harmony of the Seas is one of the world's largest cruise ships and has unique features including the tallest slide at sea and the robot-helmed Bionic Bar. The ship has 2,747 staterooms and can accommodate up to 5,479 guests.

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told The Mirror US: "We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our guests. Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guest's family during this difficult time. For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share."