Rescue crews in Florida are searching for a man who reportedly jumped off of a Carnival cruise ship, 90 feet down into the waters below.
A security guard for the Carnival Fascination claims he saw a 31-year-old man jump from the 10th deck of the ship at 2 a.m. on Tuesday morning. The ship, which left Jacksonville on Monday and was heading to Key West, was about 25 miles off Ponce Inlet, Fla. when the man plunged into the waters.
"It was a cruise security guard, as he was doing his rounds, they reported they saw one person jump overboard with a life ring in his hands," Richard Rivas of the Coast Guard told Bay News 9.
The man climbed over the 42-inch railings and into the water. Crew members threw rescue devices into the water and the ship turned around.
"The ship's command immediately performed a maneuver that is specifically designed to bring the ship back to the location where the overboard occurred," Carnival spokeperson Aly Bello told the Orlando Sentinel. "Search lights and binoculars were used to try to spot the individual. U.S.C.G. arrived on the scene quickly to initiate their search and rescue operation as well."
The U.S. Coast Guard has three ships, a motorboat and a helicopter performing a search for the man. A helicopter from a nearby Air Force basere also assisting in the search.
"We currently have multiple other Coast Guard cutters out there. Our helicopter is on scene, they're searching the area," said Rivas.
The ship was cleared to continue on it's five-day cruise to the Bahamas, but it skipped the planned stop of Key West.
"I'm not sure how long the search will continue or how in depth it's gonna go. But we're just on standby right now," explained Rivas.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
