PORT MIAMI, Fla. (AP/WSVN) — The Coast Guard has found a missing crew member who went overboard from a cruise ship near Cuba.
Cellphone video captured the moment the 33-year-old Filipino man, an employee of Norwegian Cruise Line, was pulled on board the Carnival Glory, Sunday. Applause and cheers from passengers on board the ship can be heard in the footage.
Coast Guard officials said the crew member was seen going overboard on the Norwegian Getaway, Saturday morning, about 28 miles northwest of Pinar del Rio, Cuba.
Passengers on the Getaway said the ship’s captain announced that they were turning the cruise liner around.
Coast Guard dispatched planes and a cutter that searched more than 1,630 square miles in the Gulf of Mexico.
“The probably started around 10 o’clock. They were calling on the ship’s PA [system] looking for him,” said Norwegian Getaway passenger Bob Schellenberger. “At around 1 o’clock, they turned the boat around.”
By nightfall, the search was suspended, and the crew member was presumed dead.
“We did do a search pattern for about two hours, and then they turned back around 9 p.m.,” said Schellenberger. “They turned the ship around and started heading back home again.”
But on Sunday morning, the unidentified crew member was spotted in the ocean by a cabin steward on board the Glory as it sailed by Cuba. He was then rescued by the crew.
Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, released a statement that reads in part, “This is nothing short of miraculous. Kudos to the Carnival Glory team for this amazing effort to rescue a fellow seafarer.”
The crew member is being treated on board the Carnival ship, which is currently heading to Cozumel, Mexico. He is in stable condition.
The Norwegian Getaway arrived at PortMiami later than scheduled, leaving passengers with the inconvenience of making alternate travel arrangements.
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