By Hana Carter and Guy Bircha From news.com.au

These are the first pictures of the toddler who plunged 46m to her death after allegedly being dangled out the window by her grandad.

Kimberley Schultz Wiegand from Indiana, US, was heard “screaming in pain” as her 18-month-old daughter fell from the 11th floor of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, The Sun reports.

The baby fell from the 11th floor of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship after her grandfather allegedly dangled her from a window.Source:Supplied

The child is believed to have fallen on to concrete below while the ship was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The grandfather has been named as Salvatorre Anello, according to ABC.

Fellow travellers revealed they heard the heartbroken parent wailing in agony in the wake of the tragedy.

Heartbroken, Kimberly Schultz Wiegand shared a picture after the tragedy.Source:Supplied

The grandfather has been named as Salvatore Anello.Source:Supplied

A nearby passenger told Telemundo PR: “We heard the screams of the families because we were close. A cry of pain of that nature does not compare with any other cry.”

Police have now launched an investigation and are trawling CCTV of the ship as well as interviewing passengers.

In a statement sent to news.com.au, a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said they were “deeply saddened” by the tragic incident.

“Our hearts go out to the family,” the statement read.

“We’ve made our Care Team available to assist the family with any resources they need. Out of respect for their privacy, we do not plan to comment further on the incident.”

The girl fell from Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas ship and plunged 46m on to the concrete dock.Source:Supplied

The toddler was rushed to hospital at around 4.30pm local time yesterday.

She was pronounced dead a short time later.

According to the local Primer Hora website, the girl was from Indiana, US, and on holiday with her parents and grandparents.

The girl is believed to have fallen from an 11th floor window.Source:Supplied

Devastated, Kimberley posted pictures of her and her little girl on Facebook.

Friends and family paid tribute, leaving comments like: “Sweet angel. Praying for you and your family Kim.”

Another wrote: “You are loved. Praying for you and your family. I’m so sorry.”

The girl’s family has not yet been quizzed by detectives, but police have said they believe the incident is a tragic accident.

Elmer Román, of the local Department of Public Security, said: “Police have now launched an investigation and are trawling CCTV of the ship.

“At this time (the Division of) Homicide is in place. It has not been possible to interview the family.

“It is a very strong scene, very sad and tragic.

“At one point, one of her grandparents … in an act of games, exposes the girl to the void and (she) falls out of his hands.”

The boat has a height of around 64m, and the 11th floor would have been around 46m above land level when the vessel was docked.

It holds around 4000 passengers and was ending a seven-day Southern Caribbean cruise of Antigua, St Lucia and Barbados at the time of the tragedy.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission

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Family dispute story

Family of toddler who fell from cruise ship speaks out about cause of death

By Drew Weisholtz From Today

The family of a 1-year-old girl who died after she fell more than 10 stories from a cruise ship in Puerto Rico onto a concrete dock is shedding some light on what happened.

Initial reports from police indicated Chloe Wiegand fell out of her grandfather’s arms from aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas. But her family is disputing that account.

Michael Winkleman, a Miami-based attorney hired by Chloe’s family, said her grandfather put the girl on a ledge near a window in a children’s area, but was unaware that the window was open.

“Essentially her grandfather lifts her up and puts her on a railing and where he thinks that there is glass there because it’s clear, but it turns out there was no glass there,” he said. “She goes to bang on the glass like she would have at one of those hockey rinks, and the next thing you know, she’s gone.”

Winkleman, who said Chloe enjoyed being by windows to see what was happening on the other side, said Royal Caribbean should’ve known better.

“Why in the world would you leave a window open in an entire glass wall full of windows in a kid’s area?” he said. “I mean, why would you have that kind of a hidden danger without any warning, without any sign, without any notice?”

Royal Caribbean did not mention any allegations of negligence, saying it is “deeply saddened” and “our hearts go out to the family.”

“We’ve made our Care Team available to assist the family with any resources they need,” the company said in a statement. “Out of respect for their privacy, we do not plan to comment further on the incident.”

Winkleman says Royal Caribbean is completely at fault.

“I do think there is going to be blame and significant blame on the cruise line, and I will do everything I can to hold them accountable, for what appears to me to be negligence,” Winkleman said.

Despite this accident, the Cruise Lines International Association says overboard incidents have decreased 35% over the last decade, even as capacity has increased 55%. About two dozen people fall overboard annually.

The cruise ship has since left for a week-long trip through the Caribbean, while Chloe’s family remains in Puerto Rico as an investigation into her death begins.

“We are saddened by the terrible accident that took the life of Officer Wiegand’s young daughter, and the city is holding this family in our hearts,” Buttigieg wrote.

For more on this story and videohttps://www.today.com/news/family-toddler-who-fell-cruise-ship-speaks-out-about-cause-t157908 go to: