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8-Year-Old Girl Dies After Falling Two Stories From A Carnival Cruise Ship Balcony

Zion Smith's family is pursuing legal action to find out what happened.

An 8-year-old girl tragically dies on Saturday after falling from a balcony on a Carnival Cruise ship while it was docked in Miami.  

According to the Miami-Dade Police Department, Zion Smith fell two stories inside the Carnival Cruise Line's Glory ship while passengers were disembarking from the vessel around 8:15 a.m.

Before emergency responders arrived, a passenger performed CPR on Smith. She was then transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where she was pronounced dead, reported Local 10 News.

Now, the family of the deceased child is demanding answers and is prepared to take legal action. Smith, who is from the Bahamas, took the cruise along her younger brother, her mother, her mother’s boyfriend, and his family. After her death, the rest of the family traveled to Miami in search of information.

"We are here in Miami to find answers, to find what happened aboard the ship," Damien Fox, Smith’s great uncle, told Local 10 News on Sunday.

Fox said the family members aboard the cruise believe a crowd exiting an elevator may have pushed Smith, causing her to gall over the railing.

"We just need some justice and we need some answers," Fox told Local 10 News. "Once we get that, we can move forward."

Miami-Dade police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said investigators were working closely with the cruise line to gather more information about the moment leading up to Smith’s fall.

"Our most heartfelt care and concern is with the family at this very difficult time," Carnival Cruise Line spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz said in a statement to Local 10 News. 

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