A desperate search has been launched for a missing cruise passenger who jumped overboard at the end of a tour of the Mexican Riviera.
The passenger, identified only as a 56-year-old man, reportedly bailed from the 1,059ft Carnival Panorama Saturday, the last full day of a seven-night cruise as they returned from Puerto Vallarta to Long Beach, California.
A representative for the Carnival Cruise Line said the crew alerted the U.S. and Mexico coast guards after being notified that a guest was missing and reviewing onboard CCTV footage.
Fixed-wing aircraft have been drawn in to help with the search, while the Mexican Navy is also providing support, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Were you on board? Contact james.reynolds@independent.co.uk
A passenger on board the cruise ship told TMZ the incident occurred as the ship was travelling along the coast of Mexico’s Baja peninsula Saturday morning.
After surveillance footage confirmed the missing man had gone overboard, the ship turned back to join the search at around 2pm, before resuming its route at around 4.30p.m., the passenger told the outlet.
Passengers were sent back to their rooms under lockdown as teams on board searched for the missing man, according to ABC7.
Michael Bedwell, travelling on board the ship at the time, told Eyewitness News: “They were walking around saying 'OK everyone back to your rooms’. We didn't really know what was going on.
“They just kept saying they are looking for a person and now we know he jumped overboard I guess.”
A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line told Fox News: “Carnival Cruise Line confirmed Saturday that a male guest aboard Carnival Panorama jumped overboard while the ship was sailing from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to Long Beach, California.
“When notified of a missing guest, the ship's team initiated search and investigation procedures, including reviewing CCTV footage and notifying both the U.S. and Mexico Coast Guards.”
The spokesperson said the company was providing support to the family, who was travelling with the missing guest at the time.
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