By Jordan Coussins,SWNSAmyReast Amy Reast
Copyright birminghammail
A father tragically died during a Turkey holiday pirate ship excursion – with holidaymakers alleging crew members covered his body with a towel before continuing with an onboard foam party. Peter Colville, 60, was enjoying a family break in Alanya, Turkey, alongside ten relatives, including his children and grandchildren. The group had embarked on a £200 ‘luxury pirate ship’ voyage aboard Legend Big Kral – featuring entertainment, DJs, snorkelling and a foam party, with roughly 600 other passengers believed to be on board. Read more: 22 Birmingham streets where cars are banned However, during the second swimming stop near Cleopatra Beach, property maintenance manager Peter vanished. Shortly afterwards, swimmers discovered Peter floating face-up and unconscious in the water, hauling him onto the deck before starting CPR on July 27. His daughter, Nakita Colville, 27, who witnessed the horrific incident, described “unbothered and clueless” crew members who “just stood there watching”. She claimed the barman pronounced him deceased before staff draped his body and face with a towel. Coastguard officials arrived and Peter was transported to hospital where his death was confirmed. Whilst the family – including two of his grandchildren – were removed from the vessel, the festivities carried on, with crew allegedly organising a foam party for the remaining shocked passengers, according to Nakita. Nakita, an administrative assistant from Woking, Surrey, explained: “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. “My dad was the loveliest dad and grandad 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.” Nakita, her daughter, parents, two sisters and their families, had jetted off to Alanya on July 20. Whilst a fellow holidaymaker performed CPR on Peter, the devastated family looked on in terror as Nakita’s mum and Peter’s wife, Rosalind Colville, 53, fainted from the shock. Nakita said: “My sister and I were just holding my dad’s hand, screaming. “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 believes the vessel was transporting more than 600 passengers, though the Big Kral Legend’s Tripadvisor page states the boat has a capacity of 1,200. According to advice from the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, all ships should conduct a risk assessment. However, “as a general guide, vessels in regular operation carrying in excess of 100 persons” should have a defibrillator on board. Nakita had the heartbreaking task of informing her four brothers and their families over the phone. 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.” Post-mortem examinations were carried out in both Turkey and the UK. Nakita revealed that neither could determine a cause of death, so investigations are still underway. One review on Tripadvisor from the day read: “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 stated: “After the life guard come 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 added: “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 has remained silent, failing to respond to a request for comment.
