A passenger stranded aboard the Carnival Triumph cruise ship that is slowly being towed to shore says the conditions on the ship are disgusting as feces and urine litters the floors, the Associate Press reports.
Renee Shanar, of Houston, told the AP that there is plenty of food but the toilets on the ship don't flush. Shanar, added that some older passengers aboard have fallen and injured themselves. She says that some people have also been suffering from food poisoning.
The ship's engine caught fire on Sunday, 150-miles off the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico. With over 4,000 passengers and crew aboard, the ship is running on backup power but its water and plumbing systems are not working.
On Tuesday, Carnival President Gerry Cahill, told the media that sanitary conditions on the ship are fine and that "most of the public bathrooms..most of those are working, not all." Officials say there are 23 public bathrooms on the ship, adding that there are bathrooms in some guest cabins.
The ship was due to dock at Mobile, Ala. this afternoon but strong winds caused delays and the ship is now expected to dock tonight around midnight, reports say.
Shanar said she and her husband, who suffers from a heart condition, were told they will be among the first to leave the ship once it gets to shore but she's skeptical.
"They've been lying to us from the beginning," Shanar said.
Carnival officials say passengers will get a full refund.