CASTAWAYS

Stranded Cruise Passengers Finally Catch Ship After Dash Through Africa

The group traveled for 15 hours, through six countries to reunite with the Norwegian Dawn, only for the vessel to skip docking and sail away again.

Eight cruise ship passengers have been reunited with their vessel almost a week after being stranded on an African island, Sky News reported. The Norwegian Dawn set sail from São Tomé and Príncipe without the passengers, including a pregnant woman and a paraplegic woman, and took their cash, medication, and essentials with it. A Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson said the group missed the re-board time by over an hour, but the passengers said they saw the ship pull away from the dock, refusing calls to turn around. The U.S. Embassy in Angola helped them travel Sunday to Gambia to reunite with the ship, but the vessel skipped docking there and headed to Senegal. That day, one passenger with a heart condition fell ill after five days without his medication, passenger Jay Campbell told ABC15. The group had to take a ferry to Senegal and drive four more hours. The ordeal finally ended Tuesday in Dakar, where the passengers were able to re-board. On Wednesday the ship was en route to Santa Cruz de Tenerife.