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A lockdown was carried out on a Carnival cruise ship after a passenger jumped overboard into Mexican waters before the vessel could reach its California port.
The Carnival Panorama was sailing from Puerto Vallarta to Long Beach when it was reported that a 56-year-old man went overboard on Friday night.
A cruise ship guest told TMZ that a family member had guest services page the missing man at about 10:30 a.m. on Saturday after a fruitless search for him.
Crew members reviewed CCTV footage as part of the investigation, which confirmed he went overboard.
The ship turned around and travelled back along the Baja peninsula to search for the man after alerting both Mexico and U.S. Coast Guards.
Lockdown implemented
The other passengers were put into lockdown on Sunday, the final day of the voyage.
“I’ve done a lot of cruises here and never had anything like this done before. We just did what they told us to do and [crew members] were walking around saying, ‘OK everyone, back to your rooms,’” passenger Michael Bedwell told WABC .
“We didn’t really know what was going on,” he said. “They just kept saying they are looking for a person and now we know he jumped overboard I guess.”
The lockdown ended after an hour, according to the outlet, when a crew member announced: “The team has completed the review of our man overboard cameras. Sadly, we’ve even been able to confirm that the guest has gone overboard. Local authorities will continue the search and rescue.”
The search-and-rescue operation remains ongoing, the U.S. Coast Guard Southwest District said in a statement.
“The Coast Guard launched fixed wing aircraft to assist with the search and is coordinating search efforts with the Mexican Navy and commercial vessels in the area,” they said on Monday. “The search remains ongoing.”
The victim’s family and friends have been notified, according to WABC .
Carnival confirms the incident
“Carnival Cruise Line confirmed Saturday that a male guest aboard Carnival Panorama jumped overboard while the ship was sailing from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to Long Beach, California,” the cruise line said in a statement released on Sunday.
“When notified of a missing guest, the ship’s team initiated search and investigation procedures, including reviewing CCTV footage and notifying both the U.S. and Mexico Coast Guards.”
It added: “Carnival is providing support to the family who was travelling with the guest, and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their loved ones.”
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The Carnival Panorama departed Long Beach on Sept. 13, according to CruiseMapper .
Aside from Puerto Vallarta, the seven-night, round-trip sailing included stops in Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlan before it returned to California on Sunday.