Woman Missing In Gulf Of Mexico After Falling From Carnival Cruise Ship
NEW ORLEANS (CBSDFW.COM) - A woman is missing in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico after falling from the deck of a cruise ship on Sunday evening. Carnival Cruise Line confirmed the incident with a statement on Monday morning, saying that rescue efforts were underway.
According to the company, passengers witnessed a 44-year-old guest go overboard while on the Carnival Triumph ship, which was in the second day of a five-day cruise. The Carnival Triumph travels between New Orleans and Mexico, and was expected to arrive in Cozumel on Monday.
The cruise line said Monday night, the Mexican Navy is continuing the search for the woman.
Carinval Cruises said in a statement, the ship has been released from search and rescue operations and is now en route to Cozumel, where it is scheduled to arrive later this evening.
The ship will overnight in Cozumel and depart tomorrow evening.
After stopping in Cozumel, the ship was to visit Progreso on Tuesday before returning to New Orleans on Thursday.
Vance Gulliksen with Carnival Cruise Line explained on Monday that the authorities were notified and that "search and rescue operations are underway." Meanwhile, Carnival's CARE Team has been providing support and assistance to family members of the missing woman.
Other passengers on the Carnival Triumph described the situation on social media, reporting that announcements were made and that a picture of the missing woman was shown as the cruise ship circled and searched for the passenger. Further details were not yet available.
This was the second dangerous fall aboard a Carnival cruise ship over the weekend. A woman on the Carnival Elation fell two stories from her cabin's balcony and died on Friday morning, Gulliksen confirmed to news outlets. That ship left Jacksonville on Thursday and was heading for the Bahamas.
The Carnival Triumph is not new to mishaps. This is the ship which infamously stranded some 4,200 passengers in the Gulf of Mexico in 2013 after it became disabled during an engine room fire. Those on the boat were forced to endure five days of food shortages, overflowing toilets and foul odors.
Also, nearly three years ago, surveillance cameras captured footage of a 54-year-old man jumping from the Carnival Triumph, according to KTRK in Houston. The Mexican Coast Guard was able to locate that man in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico the next morning.