4-year-old nearly drowns in cruise ship wave pool

PORT EVERGLADES, Fla. -- A 4-year-old boy nearly drowned in a wave pool on a cruise ship, and authorities have ruled the incident an accident.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that the boy had wandered away from his mother on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas on Saturday. According to details released by authorities, he was swept away in a wave pool for about six minutes before a guest noticed him. The boy's mother had reported him missing. The ship had left Port Everglades an hour earlier.

A swimmer removed the child from the pool. A medical team arrived and took him to the infirmary, where his pulse was restored.

The ship returned to port, and he was treated at a South Florida hospital. A spokeswoman said Monday that he remained in critical condition.

"Royal Caribbean does not have lifeguards stationed at our pools," spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said in an email to the Sun-Sentinel. "Signs are always posted that warn passengers to swim at their own risk, similar to what you'd see at many hotels."