Girl, 8, dies in fall on cruise ship in Miami

A little girl fell to her death on board a cruise ship in Miami over the weekend.

She had been on a Caribbean vacation with her family, who are reportedly from The Bahamas.

Zion Smith, 8, was said to have fallen between 7.5 to 15 metres (about two storeys) to her death from the interior atrium to a lower deck of the Carnival Glory ship on Oct 14, according to Sky News.

The cruise ship, which is operated by Carnival Cruise Lines, had just ended its voyage and had docked at Port Miami when the incident happened at around 8.15am, said a CNN report.

Witnesses described the aftermath of the incident to be "chaotic".

One passenger, Raymond Kassim, told 7News Miami that he had heard someone crying: "Oh, my baby, oh my baby!"

He said the fall occurred just as everyone were waiting to disembark, Mirror reported.

Another eye-witness, Tyron McKelvey, told Mirror: "People started screaming, and people started running everywhere."

The child was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where she later died, according to Miami police.

Her great-uncle has since spoken out, demanding answers in her death, said ABC news affiliate Local10.

"We want answers, and to see surveillance video from inside the cruise ship," said the relative, Damien Fox.

Local10 News added that the girl had been travelling with her baby brother, mother, her mother's boyfriend as well as his family.