cruise ship passenger who fell overboard

A passenger fell overboard off the 10th deck of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship but was saved after an hourlong rescue

• A passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship fell overboard from the 10th deck of the liner.
• The 42-year-old woman was saved after a dramatic, nearly hourlong rescue.
• "The passenger was recovered alive and reported to be in good health," the US Coast Guard said.

A passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship fell overboard from the 10th deck of the liner into the ocean more than 30 miles off the coast of the Dominican Republic — but survived after a dramatic, nearly hourlong rescue.

The chaotic incident, which left other travelers aboard the Mariner of the Seas vessel on pins and needles until the 42-year-old woman, a US citizen, was saved, unfolded Sunday as the ship was bound for the island of Curaçao, according to the US Coast Guard.

Witnesses said cruise-crew members quickly launched a rescue boat to search for the woman, managed to find her, and brought her safely back on board in a roughly 45-minute ordeal.

"The passenger was recovered alive and reported to be in good health, after reportedly falling into the water from 10th deck of the ship," Ricardo Castrodad, a spokesman for the US Coast Guard, told Insider in a statement on Wednesday.

The woman was taken to the cruise ship's medical facility after the incident and later transferred to a hospital in Willemstad, Curaçao, Castrodad said, adding that "no medical evacuation of the passenger was requested by the cruise ship."

—Matt Kuhn (@matthew_kuhn) June 25, 2023

The US Coast Guard, which is investigating the circumstances that led to the passenger going overboard, said that agency watchstanders at Sector San Juan received a report at around 5:45 p.m. Sunday that the ship's crew rescued a woman who went overboard.

"The cruise ship was transiting approximately 27 nautical miles south of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic when the incident occurred and was enroute to Willemstad, Curacao," Castrodad said.

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Fellow travelers aboard the 15-deck cruise ship said they watched in horror as they thought the woman would not be found after going overboard.

Cruise ship passenger Matthew Kuhn told Insider that when he saw two empty life preservers in the water, he feared for the worst. 

"I thought after that we were going to be here trying to recover a body," Kuhn said, recalling that he thought, "There's no way someone can survive that fall. Like that's a long fall."

"To go from that to wow they found her, someone's alive" was a whirlwind, Kuhn said. "I can't even describe like just going from like super somber to wow, I can't believe this just happened."

He told Insider that scores of people had taken to their balconies and quickly banded together to try and guide the rescue boat as they scanned the water for signs of the woman. 

"Pretty much everyone was on their balcony," said Kuhn. "I think there was a majority of people that saw something [in the water] and that's really where it took over."

Kuhn's wife, Amiee Kuhn, told ABC's "Good Morning America" that people aboard the ship who watched from the balconies erupted in applause when they saw the woman was saved.

"She was sitting up when they brought her back, and the whole ship was cheering, and then they did come on and confirm it was a successful rescue mission," she said.

Royal Caribbean said in a statement to Insider: "The ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities and began searching for the guest."

"Thankfully, the guest was successfully recovered and was brought on board. Our care team is now offering assistance and support to them and their traveling party. Out of privacy for the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share," Royal Caribbean said.

Falling overboard on a cruise ship does not usually end in a success story.

According to a report from the Cruise Lines International Association, there were 212 overboard incidents from 2009 to 2019, and only 48 — or 28.2% — of those who fell overboard were successfully rescued.

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Coast Guard searching for man who fell overboard from Carnival cruise ship near Florida

The Coast Guard is searching for a 35-year-old man who fell overboard while on a Carnival cruise ship near Florida on Monday, according to a statement .

The man was a passenger on the Carnival Magic cruise ship, which was about 186 miles east of Jacksonville when he fell into the water.

Security footage shows he leaned over the railing of his room balcony and fell into the water around 4:10 a.m. on Monday, the cruise corporation said in a statement.

He was reported missing by his companion late Monday afternoon.

Officials have not released any identifying information about the man other than his age.

The cruise ship was released by the Coast Guard from search and rescue efforts and will continue its way to Norfolk, Virginia, where it's scheduled to arrive Tuesday.

"The Carnival Care Team is providing support to the guest’s companion and traveling party who are on board," Carnival said.

The Coast Guard is using air and water assets to search for the passenger.

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Coast Guard Suspends Search for Passenger Who Fell From Cruise Ship

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday that it halted its search for a woman who went overboard from a Carnival cruise ship near Ensenada, Mexico.

By Johnny Diaz

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended a 31-hour search for a passenger who fell off a cruise ship near Mexico, the authorities said on Sunday.

The woman, who was not immediately identified, was aboard a Carnival cruise ship when she fell on Saturday morning “from the balcony of her stateroom,” Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement. The company said the ship had been on a three-day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico, and the Coast Guard said the woman fell near there.

Carnival did not provide further details of how the woman fell overboard.

On Saturday, the Coast Guard said that it had deployed a cutter called the Forrest Rednour as well as a helicopter, and that it was working with Mexico’s Navy to find the woman.

Crews started searching early in the morning on Saturday and into Sunday, the Coast Guard said. It led a search of about 520 square nautical miles, it said.

One passenger told a California news station, KABC-TV , that he heard someone say, “Man overboard, man overboard port side” on the ship’s speakers. He said that when he looked over the balcony of his room, he saw crew members tossing life preservers into the water.

Daniel Miranda, another passenger, told the station that cruise officials said that they had “verified through the cameras” that a woman had fallen into the water. A photo he took, broadcast by the station, also showed that the area of the ship where the woman fell had been cordoned off with blue tape.

After more than 31 hours scouring the area, the Coast Guard said on Sunday that it had suspended its search “pending additional information.”

The cruise company said in its statement that after assisting the Coast Guard, its ship had returned to Long Beach, Calif., as scheduled on Dec. 12. “Our thoughts are with the guest and her family, and our Care Team is providing support,” the company said.

In California, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents went to the ship “with an evidence response team” to assist in the case, a spokeswoman for the bureau said on Monday.

It is increasingly uncommon for passengers to fall from cruise ships, according to Carolyn Spencer Brown, who has covered the cruise industry for about 25 years, currently as chief content officer of Cruise Media LLC.

“It’s becoming much more uncommon than it was 20 years ago,” she said, citing the “increasingly sophisticated design specifications” that have prioritized safety on ships.

“They are designed to keep you safe,” she continued. “You really don’t hear about it very often, and when it happens, typically there are other factors involved.”

In 2010, Congress passed the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act , which required ships be equipped with rails no shorter than 42 inches above the deck, and with alarms and other technology to help signal and find passengers who go overboard.

In 2018 and 2019, 26 and 29 people fell overboard from cruise and ferry ships, according to Cruisejunkie.com , which lists cases reported by the news media, including those involving people who jumped. In 2020 and 2021, when far fewer passengers took cruises because of the pandemic, the site recorded three incidents.

Ross A. Klein, who tracks the cases of people who fall overboard on his website, Cruisejunkie.com, wrote in a June 2019 report that information on people who fall overboard is limited “as cases may not be publicly reported.”

Falls overboard could involve intoxication, accidents or deliberate jumps, Mr. Klein’s report said, but he warned there was reason to be cautious with labels because of the lack of information.

“Alcohol intoxication is known in only a small percentage of cases, largely because there is no systematic reporting of persons overboard, and no accounting of behavior prior to a disappearance (such as alcohol consumption),” the report said.

Asked about how many people have fallen overboard from Carnival ships in recent years, a spokeswoman for the company said she did not have any further information other than the statement about this weekend’s search.

The ship traveling to Ensenada this weekend, the Carnival Miracle, debuted in 2004 and can accommodate more than 2,100 guests and 934 crew members, according to the company.

Johnny Diaz is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news. He previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel and The Boston Globe. More about Johnny Diaz

Search suspended for man who fell overboard from Carnival cruise ship near Florida

Ronnie Peale Jr., 35, fell over his balcony railing on Monday, Carnival said.

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a Virginia man who fell from a cruise ship balcony earlier this week.

Ronnie Peale Jr., 35, went overboard from a Carnival Magic cruise ship traveling off the coast of Florida on Monday, the Coast Guard said.

After searching more than 5,171 square miles over the course of 60 hours, the Coast Guard said Wednesday night that it has suspended search efforts for Peale.

MORE: Search suspended for 4 people missing after Alaskan charter boat sinks: Coast Guard

"The decision to suspend the active search efforts pending further development is never one we take lightly," Coast Guard District Seven search and rescue mission coordinator Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Hooper said in a statement . "We offer our most sincere condolences to Mr. Peale's family and friends."

Carnival Cruise Lines personnel contacted Coast Guard watchstanders at 6:36 p.m. on Monday to report that a passenger had fallen off the ship, which was 186 miles east of Jacksonville, the Coast Guard said.

Peale's companion reported him missing late Monday afternoon and "an initial review of closed circuit security footage confirms that he leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water at approximately 4:10 a.m. Monday," Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement to ABC News.

His partner, Jennilyn Blosser, told Richmond ABC affiliate WRIC that the footage showed him leaning over the railing and that it looks like he accidentally fell.

"It's not like he was like jumping, like you know, it wasn't like that at all," Blosser told the station.

MORE: US teen missing after going overboard on sunset cruise in the Bahamas

Blosser said she woke up at 11:30 a.m. that morning and spent hours trying to find Peale. His mother, Linda Peale, told WRIC she knew something was wrong when her son didn't call that day to check in on his dogs.

Peale, from New Hope, Virginia, was on his first cruise and was celebrating Blosser's birthday with her family, Linda Peale said.

She described her son as "full of life" and someone who loved old cars, gardening and cooking.

"My son was a wonderful man," Linda Peale told WRIC.

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‘My mother could not swim’: Son of passenger who fell overboard cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas

SINGAPORE – Monday was to have been the last day of their four-day cruise, with Mr Jakesh Sahani and Madam Reeta Sahani on their way back to Singapore from Penang aboard the Spectrum of the Seas.

But some time in the middle of the night, Mr Jakesh, 70, woke up to find his wife missing from their room.

The retiree tried to locate his 64-year-old wife on the sprawling cruise ship but failed, so he informed the crew. They later told him the vessel’s overboard detection systems had been alerted that something had fallen from the ship into the Singapore Strait.

Mr Jakesh’s son, Mr Apoorv Sahani, who was not on the cruise, recounted the episode in a phone call with The Straits Times on Monday night.

The 39-year-old architect said his family members, who are from India, are still in the dark about his mother’s status. In a flustered voice, he told ST that his mother could not swim, and that his father was made to go through an interview with the police that lasted a few hours.

“We’ve asked to see the CCTV (closed-circuit television) footage, but so far we’ve not received anything yet for us to confirm that it was her. All we know is that the ship’s crew thinks she jumped,” he said.

“Eventually my father was told to get down from the ship because there was another cruise that was going to take place, but we think she may still be on the ship, stuck somewhere.”

Mr Apoorv added: “She was on a holiday enjoying herself and then this whole thing happened. It doesn’t make sense.”

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a statement on Monday night that the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Singapore was notified about the incident at about 7.50am.

The passenger was on board the Cyprus-flagged Spectrum of the Seas, and had fallen overboard, although no further details were provided.

“MRCC Singapore is coordinating the search and immediately issued navigational safety broadcast to vessels in the Singapore Strait and vessels in port to keep a lookout for the missing person and report any sightings to MRCC Singapore,” said the statement.

It added that the vessel was berthed earlier in Singapore to support the investigations and had departed at around 4.30pm.

Checks on marine tracking website Marine Traffic showed that it is currently bound for Nha Trang in Vietnam.

In response to queries from ST, a spokesman for Royal Caribbean, which operates the vessel, said the incident was reported to the local authorities immediately.

The company declined to comment further, citing the privacy of the guest and the family, but said its team is offering support and assistance to them.

According to cruise tracking website CruiseMapper, Spectrum of the Seas is the first Royal Caribbean cruise ship belonging to the Quantum-Ultra class – a larger, upgraded version of the Quantum-class. It has 2,137 staterooms and can cater for up to 4,819 passengers, with 16 decks, 18 dining options, four swimming pools and 10 outdoor jacuzzis.

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Cruise passenger who fell overboard rescued in ‘Thanksgiving miracle’

US coast guard located man about 20 miles south of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, after he fell overboard the Carnival Valor ship

In what some officials were hailing as a “Thanksgiving miracle” a passenger was rescued from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday evening after falling overboard from a cruise ship, the US coast guard (USCG) announced.

At 8.25pm on Thursday, the coast guard located a 28-year-old man in the sea about 20 miles south of Southwest Pass, Louisiana , after he apparently fell overboard the New Orleans-to-Mexico Carnival Valor cruise ship on Wednesday evening.

In a statement to CNN, Carnival officials said the man was reported missing on Thanksgiving Day after he walked away from his sister at an onboard bar the night before at 11pm – likely to use the bathroom.

He never returned, prompting his sister to alert staff members the next day. CNN reports that numerous announcements were made throughout the ship for the man to check in with guest service, but to no avail.

At around 2.30pm on Thursday, the cruise ship alerted the coast guard about the missing passenger.

“Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a call from the Carnival Valor at approximately 2.30pm Thursday, reporting a passenger aboard the cruise ship was missing. Watchstanders then coordinated the launch of several rescue crews to begin searching,” the coast guard said in a statement .

The rescue crews included a boat from Venice, Florida, a New Orleans-based helicopter, as well as airplanes from Clearwater, Florida and Mobile, Alabama, Lt Seth Gross, a USCG search and rescue coordinator told CNN.

The 200-plus-mile search was made complicated by the time difference between when the passenger was last seen and when the Coast Guard was alerted. “We knew that communication with the mariners in the Gulf of Mexico was going to be critical, Gross said.

Six hours later, crew members from the vessel Crinis discovered “a person in the water”, the USCG said.

The person turned out to be the missing passenger.

Aircrew from the coast guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter promptly “vectored into the area … hoisted the man on to the helicopter and transferred him to awaiting emergency medical services at the New Orleans Lakefront airport”, said the USCG.

“He was able to identify his name, confirmed that he was the individual that fell overboard,” Gross told CNN. “He was showing signs of hypothermia, shock, dehydration” but was reported to be in stable condition by the coast guard late Friday morning.

“The fact that he was able to keep himself afloat and above the surface of the water for such an extended period of time, it’s just something you can’t take for granted and certainly something that’ll stick with me forever,” Gross said, adding that the water temperature on Thursday night in the gulf was just slightly above 70F (21C).

Gross added: “The will to live is something you have to account for in every search and rescue case. This is one of the absolutely longest [times in the water] I’ve heard about and one of those Thanksgiving miracles.”

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Carnival cruise ship passenger falls overboard, found alive hours later.

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A Carnival cruise ship passenger fell overboard into the Gulf of Mexico and was found alive against all odds on Thanksgiving Day — more than 15 hours after vanishing, officials said Friday.

“[It’s] just one of those Thanksgiving miracles,”  Lt. Seth Gross of the US Coast Guard, told CNN.

The missing 28-year-old man, who hasn’t been identified, was with his sister at the Carnival Valor’s bar at 11 p.m. Wednesday when he took a bathroom break and never came back, the outlet reported .

The sibling didn’t report her brother gone until noon the next day,  prompting the Cozumel, Mexico-bound ship to retrace its sailing path toward New Orleans Thursday, Carnival spokesperson Matt Lupoli told the outlet.

Carnival reported the incident to the US Coast Guard at around 2:30 p.m. and search crews quickly launched a rescue mission by land and sea over a 200-mile area. 

They found the passenger in the 70-degree water, about 20 miles south of  Louisiana’s Southwest Pass at 8:25 p.m. — after getting a tip from someone on a bulk carrier who’d spotted him, rescuers told the local station KPLC TV . 

The passenger — who was showing signs of hypothermia, shock and dehydration — told rescuers he wasn’t sure how he’d fallen overboard but confirmed he’d been on the cruise ship.

 The man was rushed to a hospital in New Orleans and was being evaluated, officials said. He was in stable condition Friday.

Footage from the rescue of the cruise ship passenger last night. Can also be downloaded here: https://t.co/xk0pBnVr1E pic.twitter.com/GK1IXCKlgx — USCG Heartland (@USCGHeartland) November 25, 2022

Overall, the lucky guy likely survived bobbing in the water for more than 15 hours — which Gross called “the absolute longest that I’ve heard about.”

“I think it kind of blows the norm, the normalcy, out of the water here, and really just shows the will to live is something that you need to account for in every search-and-rescue case,” he told CNN.

“He realistically could have been in the water for 15-plus hours before we were able to successfully rescue him,” Gross said.

He said it was unclear where the man fell in the water and how.

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Teen passenger who fell overboard from world’s largest cruise ship is identified as search continues

Sigmund ropich, 19, was named as the passenger who went overboard from the wonder of the seas last week, article bookmarked.

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The passenger who went overboard on the largest cruise ship in the world has been named as 19-year-old Sigmund Ropich.

Mr Ropich, a college student, was identified by his sister Savannah Ropich, who said she had been in contact with the US Embassy in Cuba.

Mr Ropich went overboard from Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas before 9pm on 29 August during the second day of a seven-day trip sailing from Port Canaveral in Florida to the Grand Cayman Islands, the cruise company said. He has still not been found almost a week later.

The teen was on holiday on the cruise with his best friends, his co-worker and his co-worker’s family, when the incident happened.

"Sig is a great kid. Never gets in trouble and never caused trouble. Very intelligent, got A’s in Calculus/Physics/Government in high school with no effort. He is a college student as well and works too. He is a kind, reserved and humble kid who also loves to make people laugh. I always call him the ‘Cool, Calm and Collected’ sibling," Ms Ropich told Fox News .

• Passenger on world’s largest cruise ship goes overboard near Florida coast
• ‘You’re going to need a bigger boat’: Inside (and onboard) the unstoppable trend of monster cruise ships
• Indian woman dies after ‘jumping off’ cruise in Singapore Strait

Ms Ropich said that Cuban officials have stopped their search operation in the sea, but have now moved to the coastline and land to continue looking.

“I have a strong feeling they’re going the end this search,” Ms Ropich told Insider.

The search for Sigmund Ropich (centre) is ongoing but his sister Savannah Ropich (right) fears the search may be called off

“We are very hopeful if they open [the] search back in the ocean. We need them to open it again,” Ms Ropich said.

The family of Mr Ropich said they have very few details on his disappearance and search. Royal Caribbean has not informed the family how long the ship’s crew has searched for the missing teenager, his sister said.

The family have been "praying hourly day and night" for Mr Ropich to be found.

Royal Caribbean said it was working with the US Coast Guard on the search for Mr Ropich. However, a spokesperson for the South Florida branch of the US Coast Guard told Business Insider that the Cuban Border Guard is leading the search, because the incident occurred in Cuba’s territorial waters.

The incident was reported at around 9pm ET on 29 August when an “Oscar! Oscar! Oscar!” call, which signifies an overboard emergency, was made, according to industry blog Cruise Hive.

The crew launched a three-hour search in the water using searchlights and smaller boats and the ship turned around to retrace its route.

Passengers on board the 230,000-ton cruise ship Wonder of the Seas said that their original journey had already been diverted due to Hurricane Idalia.

The Wonder of the Seas is a 1,188 feet long ship and enough space to accommodate 7,000 passengers and 2,300 crew members.

At 18 decks high, this vessel is the largest cruise ship in the world. It is unclear whereabouts on the boat Mr Ropich went overboard from.

A woman claiming to be a passenger on the Wonder of the Seas posted on TikTok saying the captain announced video evidence that showed the man jumping overboard. Mr Ropich’s sister spoke against this, saying the woman was spreading misinformation.

“She has no clue what is going on with the whereabouts of my brother and his situation,” Ms Ropich said in a Facebook post.

Since Mr Ropich is an American citizen, the Coast Guard could not conduct an investigation until the Wonder of the Seas docked back in the US on Sunday.

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Cruise ship passenger falls overboard and vanishes off South Carolina, searchers say

A 41-year-old man remains missing after he fell from a Christmas-themed cruise off South Carolina, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Vision of the Seas cruise ship was 127 miles east of Charleston when the man “went overboard,” the USCG reported in a tweet.

His identity has not been released, and investigators have not said if there were witnesses.

#FinalUpdate : The @USCG has suspended the search efforts for the missing cruise ship passenger 127 mi east of #Charleston . Coast Guard crews searched more than 1,625 square miles and 8 hours. Anyone with new information is asked to call @USCG Sector Charleston: 843-740-7050 — USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) December 25, 2023

It happened around 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23, and the ship stopped for about six hours to scan the spot with lights, the Charleston Post and Courier said. The cruise resumed around 2 a.m., the outlet reported.

Coast Guard officials continued the search through the night, covering 1,625 square miles before suspending the effort Sunday, Dec. 24, officials said.

The Vision of the Seas was on the second day of an eight-day round trip , with a Christmas-themed itinerary planned, according to Cruisemapper.com. It departed Baltimore on Dec. 22 and is expected to dock Dec. 27 at Freeport in the Bahamas, the site reports.

Vision of the Seas is affiliated with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and has a guest capacity of just over 2,000 passengers, Royal Caribbean International says. It did not have any stops scheduled in the Carolinas.

Boater not heard from for days found adrift 270 miles off North Carolina, rescuers say

Search suspended for man who vanished from cruise in Gulf of Mexico, Coast Guard says

Fishing boat with 3 men aboard vanishes off Georgia. Coast Guard search now suspended

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‘They found her!’: Witness describes rescue of woman who fell overboard on Royal Caribbean ship

Passenger found alive after going overboard.

A passenger who went overboard while on a cruise ship was safely rescued.It happened on Sunday aboard Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas, and people on board say the entire rescue took about 45 minutes.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A passenger who went overboard while on a cruise ship was safely rescued.

It happened on Sunday aboard Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas , and people on board say the entire rescue took about 45 minutes. Numerous cruisers watched from their balcony, and some are shocked the mission was a rescue and not a body recovery.

Passengers were outside on their balconies with binoculars trying to find the person in the water. 

"We did have reports of a person overboard," said the ship’s captain over an announcement in a video sent to FOX 35 News.

The cruise turned into a crisis for passengers enjoying a vacation on the water.

"After we saw the life rafts or the life preservers and the smoke – I was like, someone just died," said Matthew Kuhn who’s on the cruise with his family.

He watched the ordeal unfold from his balcony after checking on his family to make sure his kids were safe.

"I think it was amazing to see everyone was on their balcony. Everyone was trying to help, and the crew was very receptive to everyone," he added.

Boats searched the seas and ended up finding the missing person still alive who the U.S. Coast Guard identified as a 42-year-old U.S. citizen. The Coast Guard shared a statement on the rescue with FOX 35.

"Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan received a report from the Cruise Ship Mariner of the Seas at approximately 5:44 p.m. Sunday that the ship’s crew had rescued a female passenger, 42, U.S. citizen, who had gone overboard.," the statement read. "The cruise ship was transiting approximately 27 nautical miles south of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic when the incident occurred and was en route to Willemstad, Curaçao."

The passenger was recovered alive and reported to be in good health, after reportedly falling into the water from the tenth deck of the ship, the Coast Guard said. 

A passenger was rescued after falling off Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas. [Credit: Matthew Kuhn]

"No medical evacuation of the passenger was requested by the cruise ship. The passenger was being kept on the cruise ship’s medical facility and later transferred to the Hospital in Willemstad, Curacao for evaluation. The Coast Guard is investigating the circumstances that led to the passenger going overboard."

Since the person had already been recovered by the cruise ship, no Coast Guard assets were utilized. 

"To go from, ‘She’s probably not going to be found,’ – and… it’s a body recovery, versus 'Holy crap, they found her, and she’s alive!," Kuhn added.

Royal Caribbean tells FOX 35 in a statement,  "The ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities and began searching for the guest. Thankfully, the guest was successfully recovered and was brought on board. Our care team is now offering assistance and support to them and their traveling party."

Data from a Cruise Lines International Association report on operational incidents from 2009 to 2019 shows only 28% of people who go overboard are safely rescued, the cruise line added.

The whole mood, even the cruise director, was – you could tell it was very somber for a brief time," he said. "When they found her, it was like – people were relieved. There was just a sense of, ‘OKAY, cool. No one died on our cruise.’"

When the boats lifted her back to safety, passengers on board started cheering, and the cruise continued its journey to its next destination. The ship is set to return to Port Canaveral on July 1.

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

British tourist’s final text before falling overboard on cruise ship

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The final text sent by a Scottish tourist feared dead after falling overboard from a cruise ship has been revealed.

23-year-old Liam Jones was last seen on the deck of the MSC Euribia on March 16 as it set off from Southampton to Amsterdam in The Netherlands.

It’s now been revealed Liam messaged his wife Sophia Mcphee to say he was seasick that same day – and that was the last time his devastated wife heard from her.

Sophia told the  Daily Record that the last time she saw her husband was March 14 when he travelled from their home to Glasgow to meet his family.

She said: ‘I feel so lost. He’s just… gone. I’m never going to see him again. I’m devastated.

‘I have so many questions, and I’m not getting any answers to what’s happened.’

The cruise operator, MSC Cruises, has confirmed a passenger disappeared and police have since boarded the vessel after it returned to Britain.

The cruise, set to make pit stops in Germany, France and Belgium, was on its way to Hamburg when Liam texted Sophia.

She said Liam’s sister messaged her the following day, saying there had been an ‘accident’ and Liam ‘wasn’t coming back’.

CCTV footage, Liam’s sister told her, showed Liam going overboard.

‘I’ve not had contact from anyone else since,’ Sophia added.

According to its itinerary , the Euribia would have docked in Hamburg on March 27 before going to Rotterdam on Tuesday, Bruges on Wednesday and Le Harve on Thursday before arriving back in Southampton on Friday.

A spokesperson for MSC Cruises said: ‘A passenger on board MSC Euribia went overboard on 16 March as the ship was sailing to Hamburg.

‘This was reported to the authorities. The police in Southampton boarded the vessel on 22 March and investigated on behalf of the coroner.

‘We are deeply saddened by this news and our thoughts are with the family at this very difficult time. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will refrain from disclosing any additional information.’

Hampshire Constabulary added: ‘Officers boarded the vessel on Friday 22 March following a report that a man had gone overboard.

‘The man’s family are aware and police are investigating this on behalf of the coroner.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

For more stories like this, check our news page .

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Cruise ship passenger who fell overboard found dead 18 miles from Port Canaveral, Florida, coast

Coast guard says 36-year-old woman went overboard off msc meraviglia cruise ship.

Carnival cruise ship passenger rescued by Coast Guard after falling overboard

Video released by the Coast Guard shows the moment a Carnival cruise ship passenger was spotted and later rescued from the Gulf of Mexico after falling overboard Nov. 24. 

A woman who fell overboard from a cruise ship on its return to the U.S. was found dead Thursday morning.

The 36-year-old victim fell off the MSC Meraviglia as it was returning to Port Canaveral in Florida, according to local outlet Fox 35 .

CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER WHO TREADED WATER FOR 20 HOURS SPEAKS OUT, SAYS HE NEVER ACCEPTED THAT 'THIS IS IT'

No further details on the incident will be released until the victim's next of kin is contacted, authorities said.

Guests on the MSC Meraviglia gather by the pool as the sun sets and the ship prepares to set sail from Port Canaveral, Florida, on Oct. 13, 2022. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)

"A 36-year-old woman's body was recovered from the water approximately 18 miles offshore Port Canaveral Thursday morning after she went overboard the cruise ship Meraviglia," the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.

VIKING CRUISE PASSENGER DEAD AFTER ROGUE WAVE SLAMS INTO SHIP SAILING TO ARGENTINA

MSC Cruises USA released a statement Thursday addressing the fatality.

The MSC Meraviglia is docked in Port Canaveral, Florida, on Oct. 13, 2022. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Port Canaveral signage is displayed on a mat at the entrance of a cruise terminal in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on July 5, 2017. (Ty Wright/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

"The crew performed an immediate search and rescue operation, alongside the U.S. Coast Guard who supported search efforts with boats and a helicopter," the cruise line said. "Unfortunately, despite the rapid rescue operation, the passenger sustained fatal injuries. We are offering our full support to authorities as they investigate this matter."

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Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the incident.

Student who fell overboard on cruise ship holiday sent tragic last text to wife

A student is believed to be dead after falling from a cruise ship into the North Sea .

Liam Jones, 23, was on board the MSC Euribia departing from Southampton to enjoy a seven-day holiday in Hamburg, France, Belgium and Amsterdam.

The social work student was last seen on 16 March by his sister after he messaged his wife Sophia Mcphee at home to say he felt sick.

The passenger was confirmed missing by MSC Cruises. Hampshire Police started their investigation once the vessel returned to the UK.

His wife shared her devastation at the sudden loss of her partner.

The 20-year-old from Dundee told the Daily Record: “I feel so lost. He’s just … gone. I’m never going to see him again. I’m devastated.

“I have so many questions, and I’m not getting any answers to what’s happened.”

Ms Mcphee saw her partner for the last time on Thursday 14 March before he made his way from their home to Glasgow to meet his family and board the ship the following day.

“I was first contacted by his sister on Sunday. She said there had been an accident and Liam ‘wasn’t coming back’,” she said. “She then said she had seen CCTV and he’d gone overboard. I’ve not had any contact from anyone since.”

Police confirmed they are still investigating the disappearance.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said: “Officers boarded the vessel on Friday 22 March following a report that a man had gone overboard.

“The man’s family are aware and police are investigating this on behalf of the coroner.”

A spokesman from MSC Cruises said: “A passenger on board MSC Euribia went overboard on March 16 as the ship was sailing to Hamburg. This was reported to the authorities.

“The police in Southampton boarded the vessel today and investigated on behalf of the coroner. We are deeply saddened by this news and our thoughts are with the family at this very difficult time.

“Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will refrain from disclosing any additional information.”

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