Coast Guard searching Gulf after man reported missing from Carnival cruise ship
A search is underway in the Gulf of Mexico after a 28-year-old man was reported missing from a Carnival cruise ship.
The man was identified by family as Tyler Barnett of Houma, Louisiana, according to the Coast Guard. Barnett was reported missing from the Carnival Glory on Monday morning by a family member, according to a Carnival spokesperson. The ship was searched by security and camera footage was reviewed.
He was last seen on camera at around midnight Monday, the Coast Guard said. A Carnival spokesperson told CBS News in a statement Tuesday evening that multiple reviews of the ship's surveillance video determined the guest "jumped" from the fourth deck of the ship at about 1:40 a.m. Monday.
Video showed him climbing onto a lifeboat and jumping from there, Carnival said.
The examination of the security video was complicated by the fact that the security team was not informed until Tuesday that the missing man may have been wearing a different shirt than initially thought, Carnival disclosed, which allowed ship security to "change the profile of the guest" as it "searched onboard video."
A public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard said that watch standers from the service received a reported of an unaccounted for passenger early Monday afternoon. The Coast Guard launched two aircraft to search for Barnett. Those searches went on until Monday evening but were temporarily paused overnight because of dangerous weather conditions, including gale-force winds and rough seas.
"We are currently searching a large area that encompasses more than 200 miles of the ship's voyage path due to the uncertainty of when he may have gone overboard," the Coast Guard said. "The Coast Guard issued urgent marine information broadcasts and messages to mariners in the Gulf of Mexico notifying them of the missing passenger."
The search resumed on Tuesday morning, the Coast Guard said. The agency said it would continue searching as weather conditions allow.
The Carnival Glory departed New Orleans on Sunday. The ship is proceeding to Montego Bay, Jamaica, and is expected to arrive there Wednesday. The ship is also expected to make stops in Grand Cayman and Cozumel.
The Carnival spokesperson said that Barnett's family, who remain on board, are being supported by the company's care team.
According to Carnival's website, the Carnival Glory can hold 2,980 passengers and 1,150 crew members. The ship has 14 decks and is 952 feet long.