The US Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 41-year-old man who went overboard on a cruise ship just before Christmas.
Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas was 200km east of Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday night when the incident occurred.
Crew members said they immediately reported it to local authorities, who began a search and rescue mission, according to the ship’s operator, Royal Caribbean Cruises.
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Coast Guard crews searched more than 4200 square km over eight hours, according to the Charleston Coast Guard.
“Out of privacy for the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share,” Royal Caribbean said.
Passengers were alerted just after 7pm on Saturday, when an announcement saying “Oscar, Oscar, Oscar, Starboard” was made over the ship’s loudspeakers.
Passenger Colin Schappi told NBC News affiliate WCBD that no one knew at first what was going on.
“All the staff made a face at each other,” said Schappi, who was at dinner on board when the incident happened.
“No one knew what was going on at first, then they did another announcement explaining what happened a few minutes later.”
The ship departed Baltimore on Friday and made its first stop in Orlando on Sunday, arriving in the Bimini Islands on Christmas Day, according to the cruise itinerary.
Two more stops are planned in the Bahamas before it returns to Maryland.
The eight-day roundtrip was themed “Christmas”, according to the cruise line’s website.
Last month, a 28-year-old man jumped from a Carnival cruise ship bound for Jamaica.
The Coast Guard searched more than 14,500 square km but he was never found.
