“One of Those Thanksgiving Miracles”: Drunk Passenger Goes Overboard on Cruise Ship
Carnival Cruise Ship (Photo: RHONA WISE/AFP/Getty)
A man was drinking at the Carnival Valor’s bar onboard a Carnival Cruise ship. The passenger went to the bathroom but took a detour after falling into the Gulf of Mexico for as long as 15 hours.
The cruise line was traveling from New Orleans, USA to Cozumel, Mexico. The 28-year-old was last seen at the bar with his sister before he went to the bathroom around 11 pm on Wednesday. However, he never returned. His sister reported him missing around noon the following day.
The cruise ship was searched but he couldn’t be found. Then, the crew called the United States Coast Guard at around 2:30 pm.
“We have not been able to confirm when he entered the water, so we’re under the assumption [that] any point from Wednesday on, he could have entered the waterway,” said USCG New Orleans branch Lieutenant Seth Gross to CNN.
“He realistically could have been in the water for 15+ hours before we were able to successfully rescue him.”
The Carnival Cruise ship turned back to help the USCG before it continued on to Cozumel. A small boat, helicopter, and airplanes were all deployed to aid the search operation.
The 28-year-old was eventually spotted in the water by another boat around 8:25 pm. He was located approximately 20 miles off the Louisiana coast.
Gross in his 17 years of service with the coast guard said this was “unlike anything I’ve been a part of.”
Gross continued, “I think this blows normalcy out of the water here. The will to live is something you have to account for in every search and rescue case. This is one of the absolutely longest I’ve heard about and one of those Thanksgiving miracles.”
On Friday Carnival said in a statement: “We greatly appreciate the efforts of all, most especially the US Coast Guard and the mariner who spotted the guest in the water.”
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