A FRANTIC search 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 the 51-year-old man, who has not been named, could not be found.
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One of Norwegian Cruise Line’s shipsCredit: Getty
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Passengers can be seen searching the water for the man in this video posted to XCredit: X/George Sakellaris
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”.
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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.
After the search was called off the vessel was cleared by the US Coast Guard to continue with the cruise, but is now being diverted to the Bahamas capital, Nassau, rather than Great Stirrup Cay island.
Passengers on board posted videos to social media filming the water in the immediate aftermath where they shared the little information they had.
The first video referencing the situation went up on X at 3:35 pm.
The woman behind the camera said: “They put a flare, they’re circulating.
“We did an entire circle looking for the guy that jumped off the boat.
“He jumped, he fell and bounced off of one of these [lifeboats] and fell in the water.”
It cannot be verified that the man jumped.
One passenger onboard the ship said 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.
The site also said that onboard announcements told passengers the individual who went overboard was wearing a blue shirt at the time of the fall.
The Holland America Line happened to be nearby and steamed toward the location to try to help in the rescue.
Crew members reportedly shot a flare in the water to mark the ship’s position when the ‘man overboard’ was reported.
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The ‘Norwegian Breakaway’ leaves the building dock at the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, 2013Credit: Getty
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