"When we started realizing how bad it actually was, one of the crew members came from downstairs upstairs to grab a lifejacket and she was crying and being hysterical," passenger Kelly Schissel tells Inside Edition.
A passenger aboard the double-decker tourist ferry that crashed in the Bahamas says chaos ensued when the vessel began to capsize.
Kelly Schissel was among those heading from Paradise Island to Blue Lagoon Island on Tuesday, expecting a fun excursion.
That quickly changed however, when the ferry she and the other passengers were aboard began to take on water.
Within minutes, passengers had all shifted to one side of the boat to try and balance out the vessel, but it was too late.
Eyewitnesses say as things got worse, many passengers were left to fend for themselves and jump overboard.
"When we started realizing how bad it actually was, one of the crew members came from downstairs upstairs to grab a lifejacket and she was crying and being hysterical," Schissel tells Inside Edition.
Schissel filmed the scene as passengers began plunging into the water as the boat continued to take on water.
"Some of us were hanging onto the boat and it started tipping to a point where it's like either hang on for dear life or jump in, and a lot of us started jumping," says Schissel.
Amid all this, one 74-year-old passenger lost their life, while two others had to be taken to a hospital.
The other passengers either swam to a nearby island or were rescued by nearby boats.
The ferry ride was an excursion offered by Royal Carribean Cruise Lines. In a statement they said their hearts are with the families involved.
