6-Year-Old Boy Drowns On Carnival Cruise Ship

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – What was supposed to be a fun family vacation on a Miami-based cruise ship turned into a nightmare for a Central Florida family after a 6-year-old boy drowned on board the ship.

According to Detective Javier Baez of the Miami-Dade Police Department, Qwentyn Hunter from Winter Garden was playing with his 10-year old brother in a pool on board the Carnival Cruise Ship Victory on Sunday when he was spotted motionless under the water.

Passenger Shaina Shaw was one of several passengers who helped pull him from the water.

"I saw the little boy with his family, enjoying himself, and out of nowhere I heard all of this commotion and I realized it was the same little boy I had seen playing with his older brother and his mother and his father in the very shallow end of the pool," explained Shaw. "I actually lifted the boy up, I actually helped prop his body up into the proper position so they could perform CPR," she said.

But tragically, it wasn't enough to save him. "Everyone was crying, the family was distraught. They had to pull the mother away and the father. The father was next to his son pleading and begging his son to stay alive," explained Shaw, also crying when she recalled the moment.

"Poor family has to go on vacation with their child and have to come back without them, it's not fair, it's not fair," said Shaw.

Carnival Cruise Line issued this statement early Monday:

"While the ship was at sea on the last leg of a four-day Caribbean cruise, a six-year-old boy drowned in the midship pool.  He was at the pool area with other family members at the time," Carnival Cruise Line said in the statement. "Carnival extends its heartfelt sympathy to the family during this very difficult time. The company's CareTeam is providing assistance and support."

The Victory docked at PortMiami early Monday morning following the weekend Caribbean cruise.