THE devastated family of a dad who died during a “pirate ship” boat trip have claimed “unbothered” staff carried on partying after his body was covered up.
Peter Colville, 60, from Woking, Surrey, was on a family trip to Alanya in Turkey with ten relatives, including his children and grandchildren.
SWNSPeter Colville tragically died on the ‘pirate ship’ boat party[/caption]
SWNSPeter pictured minutes before his death[/caption]
SWNSPeter’s family claim the boat party operators covered him with a towel and hosted an on-board foam party[/caption]
The family set sail on the £200 boat, Legend Big Kral, which promised entertainment, DJs, snorkelling, and a foam party.
Nakita Colville, Peter’s 27-year-old daughter, said around 600 guests were onboard at the time.
But tragedy struck on the second swim stop by Cleopatra Beach.
Peter disappeared while in the water and moments later, swimmers found him face-up and unconscious and dragged him back on deck.
Guests began administering CPR – but Nakita said the staff were “unbothered and clueless”.
“They just stood there watching,” she said.
A barman reportedly declared Peter dead before staff covered his body and face with a towel.
The coastguard arrived, and Peter was rushed to hospital – where he was confirmed dead.
Despite the tragedy, Nakita claims the party continued onboard.
She said: “The family – including two of his grandchildren – were taken off the boat, the crew hosted a foam party for the remaining passengers.”
Describing the horrifying scene, Nakita, an admin assistant, added: “When my brother-in-law came back out the sea after swimming, he turned around when he realised my dad was no longer behind him.
“Then we heard people yelling for help and saw my dad in the water, face up, with people trying to get him out.
“One of the other guests began giving CPR while the crew members just stood there with their arms crossed.
“Other guests were screaming and crying, my family was hysterical.
“We were living the worst moments of our lives but as soon as we were taken off, the crew just apologised to guests because the foam party was delayed, I’ve been told.”
She added: “My dad was the loveliest dad and granddad and he deserved to be treated with respect – and he wasn’t.
“We can’t say it was the company’s fault that he died, but maybe he could’ve been saved – and how it was dealt with was awful.”
The family had flown to Alanya on July 20, and the accident happened on July 27.
While a fellow tourist administered CPR, Nakita’s mother and Peter’s wife, Rosalind Colville, 53, collapsed from shock.
“My sister and I were just holding my dad’s hand, screaming,” Nakita said.
“As far as we knew, or he knew, he was healthy – we have no idea what happened.
“He was smart – if he had been, or felt, unwell, he wouldn’t have got in the water.”
Nakita estimates the boat carried more than 600 guests, though the Legend Big Kral’s Tripadvisor page claims a capacity of 1,200.
UK Maritime and Coastguard guidance states that all ships should undertake a risk assessment, and vessels carrying over 100 people should carry a defibrillator.
Nakita had to break the news by phone to her four brothers and their families.
She said: “Our dad was so lovely – the best dad and grandad to all his grandchildren.
“I keep forgetting what happened and then it hits you all over again.”
Postmortems were carried out in Turkey and the UK, but neither could find a cause of death. Investigations are ongoing.
A Tripadvisor review from the day painted a grim picture.
It said: “He was laid on the deck – and then nothing.
“No proper procedures, no clearing the deck from onlookers, no immediate CPR.
“A crew member looked into his eyes and declared him dead.”
Another said: “After the lifeguard came to take the guy away we were simply told the emergency was over and they continued to play loud music and try to sell more photos.”
A third added: “The way it was handled by the crew was nothing short of horrifying.
“It is unsafe, unprofessional, and the crew is neither trained nor emotionally capable of handling emergencies – or tragedies.
“A man died. And they carried on like it meant nothing.”
Nakita said: “I saw it happen but somehow it still feels like he’ll walk back through the door any minute now.
“All we know is that he deserved so much better than what he got on that boat.”
Big Kral Pirate Boats did not respond to a request for comment.
SWNSPeter Colville’s funeral after the tragedy[/caption]
SWNSPeter’s two girls Nakita Colville andr her sister Tasha moments before the nightmare[/caption]