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2 Carnival Cruise ships collide in Cozumel, Mexico; at least 6 people injured

Gwen Aviles
WATCH LIVE
Two Carnival Cruise Ships collide at port in Cozumel, Mexico on Dec. 20th, 2019.
Photo: Matthew Bruin

Two Carnival Cruise ships collided at the port of Cozumel, Mexico, on Friday morning, causing damage to at least one of the ships and at least six reported injuries, according to the company.

"Carnival Glory was maneuvering to dock when it made contact with Carnival Legend which was already alongside," a spokesperson for the company wrote in an emailed statement. "We are assessing the damage but there are no issues that impact the seaworthiness of either ship."

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Initially, there was only one reported minor injury of a Carnival Glory guest that occurred when a group was being evacuated from the dining room of one ship's decks 3 and 4. But the cruise line said that since its preliminary evaluation, six guests with minor injuries "have presented themselves to the Carnival Glory medical center for evaluation."

Makenna Morris, 21, from Salt Lake City, Utah, said that she was on the fourth deck of the Carnival Legend taking pictures when she noticed the Carnival Glory moving toward her ship. She said that as the Carnival Glory approached, she could hear passengers screaming as they prepared for the impact.

"I started hearing people yelling and screaming on the Royal Caribbean," Morris told NBC News. "That's when I heard sounds of cracking and glass breaking."

Morris also recalled hearing what sounded like scraping as the Carnival Glory made impact with the Carnival Legend.

"They ran into us and I was like 'holy crap'," Morris said. "The whole dining hall caved in and shattered."

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Carnival Cruise Line is an international cruise line and the largest one globally, according to the trade publication Cruise Market Watch.

Eight ships from various cruise lines were scheduled to dock at the Port of Cozumel on Friday. The Carnival Glory, which left its home port in New Orleans on Sunday, was scheduled to dock in the port at 10 a.m Friday, while the Carnival Legend was scheduled to dock at 8 a.m.

The ships' passengers have been advised to spend their day ashore in Cozumel.

Closeup of damage after a Carnival Cruise ship collided with another Carnival Cruise ship at port in Cozumel, Mexico on Dec. 20th, 2019.
Photo: Matthew Bruin