A 5-year-old girl fell into the sea from Disney Cruise Line's Disney Dream cruise ship after her mother encouraged her to pose in an open porthole to take a photo, according to Broward County (Florida) authorities.

The incident occurred around 11:30 am on Sunday, June 29, as the ship was sailing in international waters between the Bahamas and Fort Lauderdale, the Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) confirmed to Fox News Digital.

The photoshoot ended in a fall into the ocean

According to the police report, the family was walking on the fourth deck of the cruise ship when the mother tried to capture a picture of her daughter in front of a large decorative porthole cutout.

The woman pointed to the porthole railing and the girl climbed up and sat on it, but lost her balance and fell backward into the ocean, from a height of about 50 feet.

Upon realizing the accident, the mother screamed for help, alerting her husband, who immediately jumped into the sea to try to rescue their daughter.

Rescue in minutes and emergency protocol

The cruise ship immediately activated the “Man Overboard” protocol, and a rescue vessel was thrown into the water.

At 11:49 am, just 19 minutes after the accident, the father and child were located and rescued by Disney Cruise Line personnel.

Both were treated at the ship's medical center and then transferred to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where the child was confirmed to have mild hypothermia and mild lactic acidosis, but no physical injuries.

The father suffered hypothermia, acidosis, and spinal fractures, according to the medical report.

“So many people praying on this ship! Both the child and the father were successfully rescued!” wrote Dewayne Smith, one of the passengers on the Disney Dream, on Facebook.

No charges will be filed against the mother

On July 31,Broward State Assistant Attorney Melissa Kelly ruled not to file child neglect charges against the mother.

“While the defendant acted irresponsibly, her act was a momentary lapse of judgment and ignorance of the circumstances,” Kelly wrote in her memo.

The prosecutor noted that the child was not seriously injured and that the mother immediately sought help. He also noted that the girl had taken swimming lessons, although she did not know how to swim independently.

Sensors Did Not Detect the Fall

According to the court report, the girl's body did not activate the “Man Overboard” emergency sensors, as she was too small to be detected by the ship's automatic system.

Her father, however, did activate the system when he jumped into the water, allowing the crew to deploy the rescue protocol in a matter of minutes.

A representative for Disney Cruise Line praised the rescue team's quick action, noting that “both passengers returned safely to the ship within a few minutes.”

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