MIAMI (WSVN) - A search at sea is underway to find a passenger who went overboard while on a Carnival Cruise ship.
U.S. Coast Guard have spent nearly 12 hours searching south of Islamorada where officials believe the man fell into the water while on the Carnival Victory, Friday.
The cruise ship docked at PortMiami Friday afternoon. However, the search for the 26-year-old passenger continues.
https://twitter.com/DymburtNews/status/1073685292362723331
According to people on board the ship, the captain announced that a passenger was missing around 4:30 a.m.
At the time, the Victory was nearly at PortMiami. About 30 minutes later, the vessel had to be turned around for the search.
“We made a U-turn and went another four hours towards Cozumel to look for the person,” said passenger Joel Kornberg. “Then the Coast Guard got involved.”
Passengers said they were asked to stay inside their rooms.
Carnival said this appears to be an intentional act. They said they could not provide more details as the investigation continues.
Carnival shared pictures of the missing man prior to the search in the hopes that he was spotted on the ship. The captain later confirmed that he went overboard.
“The captain came on and said they confirmed that someone had gone overboard,” said passenger Anthony Divizio. “They had video of it. They had confirmed that way that he had gone overboard, and that we were returning to the ocean with the Coast Guard. Once we got out there, he said they were beginning and continuing a recovery operation.”
The Carnival Victory was scheduled to take on new passengers for a cruise Friday morning. Those passengers were delayed about 10 hours, but most were understanding.
“I feel sorry for the family [of the man] that lost his life,” said one woman. “That’s really sad. I don’t mind waiting, we just gotta continue to pray ’cause it’s sad.”
The Coast Guard continues to search by air and sea for the man who went overboard.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.