Child dies after being pulled from pool aboard cruise ship near U.S.

[February 04, 2014]  (Reuters) — A 4-year-old child died abroad a Norwegian Cruise Line ship off the coast of North Carolina on Monday after being found unresponsive on the pool deck, a coast guard official said.

Two children, the 4-year-old and a 6-year-old, were discovered in the pool at about noon on Monday. Medical staff abroad the boat were able to revive the 6-year-old but the other child was pronounced dead, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Adam SanSoucie.

The ship was about 35 miles off the coast of North Carolina at the time of the incident, and the surviving child was airlifted, along with his grandmother, to the state's Carteret General Hospital, he said.

"We are extremely saddened to report that a tragedy occurred on board Norwegian Breakaway this morning," Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd said in a statement posted on the cruise line's Facebook page. "The team responded immediately and quickly administered CPR to both children... Devastatingly, the younger child passed away on board."

(Reporting by Edith Honan in New York; editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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