A FRANTIC was launched for a cruise ship passenger who went over board during a trip bound for the Bahamas.
The search was abandoned on Thursday night after a 51-year-old man, who has not been named, could not be found.
GettyOne of Norwegian Cruise Line’s commercial vessels[/caption]
The man had been on board Norwegian Cruise Line’s boat Norwegian Epic, sailing northbound from Ocho Rios, Jamaica, to the Bahamas when he went overboard at around 3pm on Thursday.
It is not currently known what caused the man to enter the water.
A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line told the Daily Mail: “The authorities were immediately notified, and a search and rescue operation under the guidance and oversight of the Bahamas Rescue Coordination Center went underway.”
After the search was declared unsuccessful, the ship was “released by the authorities to continue its voyage”.
The man who went overboard was travelling with a large group, including his family.
His family members are being “attended to and supported during this very challenging situation,” the cruise liner spokesperson added.
The ship departed Port Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday and is currently on a seven-night Western Caribbean voyage.
The vessel is now being diverted to Nassau.
Passengers on board posted videos to social media filming the water in the immediate aftermath where they shared the little information they had.
One passenger onboard the ship told the Daily Mail the captain had advised guests that the individual remained missing before letting them know the boat was being diverted.
Cruise Hive reported that the sunset in the Bahamas on December 26 was 5:18 pm, so there were only a couple hours of good daylight available for the search before it became more difficult in the dark.
GettyThe ‘Norwegian Breakaway’ leaves the building dock at the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, 2013[/caption]
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
