Passenger jumps overboard Carnival cruise ship off coast of Florida
Search for man set to continue through the night
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A passenger jumped overboard from a Carnival cruise ship off the coast of Florida.
A search for the man, who fell from the deck of the Mardi Gras on Saturday morning, was due to continue through night, the company and the US Coast Guard said.
The cruise company deployed the Mardi Gras and another ship, Elation, to help with the search, before the Coast Guard fully took over, sending two cutters, the Heron and Ibis, as well as aircraft to look for the missing passenger.
“We have no new updates and are going to continue searching through the night,” a Coast Guard spokesperson told The Independent on Saturday.
Carnival said it was supporting the man’s family members, who were also onboard at the time of the incident, which took place about 55 miles east of Port Canaveral, near Orlando.
"The ship’s crew participated in search and rescue efforts until the ship was released by the US Coast Guard, which continues the search. The Carnival Care Team is supporting the guest’s family. Mardi Gras arrived to Port Canaveral and will be sailing its next itinerary," it said in a statement.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the guest and his family,” it added.
The ship was near the end of its voyage through The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and Turks and Caico, when the passenger went overboard.
One passenger told TMZ about a frantic search onboard the ship once staff realised someone had gone overboard.
Mardi Gras is the company’s flagship vessel, and began sailing Caribbean routes last summer, after being delayed by the pandemic.
A woman jumped off the deck of another Carnival ship two months ago.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments