A toddler has died after falling 11 stories from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship

DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images

When first launched in 2006, Freedom of the Seas was the world's largest cruise ship, owned by Royal Caribbean.

• A toddler fell 11 stories from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship deck after slipping out of her grandfather's hands.
• Puerto Rico's Primera Hora newspaper reported the incident on Sunday, citing a public safety spokesperson's details.
• Royal Caribbean told Business Insider it's making resources available to the victim's family.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

An American toddler has died in Puerto Rico after falling eleven stories from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

The Primera Hora newspaper reported Sunday that the one-and-a-half year old from Indiana was being held up to an open window by her grandfather when he lost his grip on the child.

Elmer Román, secretary of public safety for the government of Puerto Rico, told the newspaper that the incident is being investigated as a homicide.

"The incident involved an American family - the grandfather stuck the girl out of a window, the girl fell over the edge and died," he said. "Right now (the Homicide Division) is on the scene; it wasn't possible to interview the family. It's a very shocking scene, very unfortunate and tragic... it looks like one of her grandparents, it would seem, in the midst of playing, exposed the girl to the drop and she fell from his arms."

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson confirmed the incident, and said the company made resources available to the family following the "tragic" event.

"We are deeply saddened by yesterday's tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the family," the representative told Business Insider. "We've made our Care Team available to assist the family with any resources they need. Out of respect for their privacy, we do not plan to comment further on the incident."

Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas is one of the largest passenger ships in the world, and has been in service since 2006. The ship can hold more than 4,000 passengers and crew, and is more than 1,000 feet long.

Ruqayyah Moynihan assisted with Spanish language reporting from London.

Have you worked on a cruise ship? Do you have a story to share? Email this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.

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