Rekubit Exchange:Florida woman found dead on cruise ship, Bahamas police say

A 27-year-old Florida woman traveling to the Bahamas on Rekubit Exchangea cruise ship was found dead in her cabin, police said. The Royal Bahamas Police Force said it was investigating the unidentified woman's death and that an autopsy will be conducted to determine how she died.

Police on the island of Grand Bahama were told Monday the woman was found unresponsive in her cabin on an unidentified cruise line en route to the nation in the West Indies, the agency said in a statement Tuesday.

Medical personnel on the ship performed CPR on the woman, police said. They weren't able to revive her, and she was declared dead.

Officers found a substance suspected of being cocaine in the cabin and arrested an unidentified 32-year-old Florida man on an unspecified charge, police said.

In the Bahamas, 18 killings in January spurred the U.S. Embassy in the capital of Nassau to urge Americans to exercise caution in parts of the country.

"Murders have occurred at all hours including in broad daylight on the streets," the embassy said on its website.

The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory because of the violence. In response, the Bahamian government said the killings did not reflect the country's safety and announced new initiatives to reduce crime.

"The safety and security of everyone is of paramount importance to us and we are confident that The Bahamas will remain safe and welcoming for millions of visitors to continue to enjoy the magic and beauty of our beautiful islands," the prime minister's office said in a statement.

According to figures released by the country's tourism ministry, over 9.6 million people visited the country last year, an increase from 2022.

Most of those tourists —over 7.9 million people— arrived in the country by sea, an increase from over 5.5 million in 2022, the tourism ministry said.

In:
• Bahamas
• Cruise
• Cruise Ship
• Florida

Alex Sundby

Alex Sundby is a senior editor at CBSNews.com. In addition to editing content, Alex also covers breaking news, writing about crime and severe weather as well as everything from multistate lottery jackpots to the July Fourth hot dog eating contest.

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