Boy, 12, falls to his death aboard Royal Caribbean cruise ship

A 12-year-old boy is dead after falling from the balcony of a cruise ship before it docked in Texas over the weekend.

Reports suggested the preteen was attempting to climb back into his room aboard Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas after apparently forgetting his room key.

The ship was heading to Galveston, Texas, on Saturday near the end of a week-long cruise when the boy fell from an eighth-floor interior balcony at the Central Park area of the ship, one of seven neighbourhoods where many bars, restaurants and shops are located.

Despite the best efforts of the ship’s medical staff, the boy died of his injuries at the medical centre.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our guests,” a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told People in a statement.

“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.”

The boy was with his family to celebrate a birthday and was playing with other children aboard the ship before tragedy struck.

Passengers shared their sadness on social media.

“My daughter was friends with him and said he was upset today,” wrote Sara Tullas in a Harmony of the Seas Facebook group, according to Royal Caribbean Blog.

Another passenger said her son was playing with the boy when he fell from the balcony.

“I haven’t been able to really wrap my head around this and the conversations I have had to have with my son really tripped me up,” Shannon Elizabeth wrote.

“My son made friends with this boy and he saw too much of what happened. Just breaks my heart and the fact we were (on) this boat is just wild.”

The is the second death aboard Harmony of the Seas since it launched eight years ago. In 2019, a 16-year-old boy also fell to his death on the ship.