Cruise ship passenger falls overboard and vanishes off South Carolina, searchers say
A 41-year-old man remains missing after he fell from a Christmas-themed cruise off South Carolina, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Vision of the Seas cruise ship was 127 miles east of Charleston when the man “went overboard,” the USCG reported in a tweet.
His identity has not been released, and investigators have not said if there were witnesses.
#FinalUpdate: The @USCG has suspended the search efforts for the missing cruise ship passenger 127 mi east of #Charleston.
Coast Guard crews searched more than 1,625 square miles and 8 hours.
Anyone with new information is asked to call @USCG Sector Charleston: 843-740-7050— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) December 25, 2023
It happened around 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23, and the ship stopped for about six hours to scan the spot with lights, the Charleston Post and Courier said. The cruise resumed around 2 a.m., the outlet reported.
Coast Guard officials continued the search through the night, covering 1,625 square miles before suspending the effort Sunday, Dec. 24, officials said.
The Vision of the Seas was on the second day of an eight-day round trip, with a Christmas-themed itinerary planned, according to Cruisemapper.com. It departed Baltimore on Dec. 22 and is expected to dock Dec. 27 at Freeport in the Bahamas, the site reports.
Vision of the Seas is affiliated with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and has a guest capacity of just over 2,000 passengers, Royal Caribbean International says. It did not have any stops scheduled in the Carolinas.
Boater not heard from for days found adrift 270 miles off North Carolina, rescuers say
Search suspended for man who vanished from cruise in Gulf of Mexico, Coast Guard says
Fishing boat with 3 men aboard vanishes off Georgia. Coast Guard search now suspended
