A body was found Wednesday night after a man jumped overboard from the Carnival Horizon cruise ship, the company told USA TODAY.
“Working with the U.S. Coast Guard, the ship’s crew has located and recovered the guest’s body. The Carnival Care team is providing assistance to his family,” Carnival said in a statement provided by the carrier. -word Matt Lupoli.
Earlier Wednesday, the cruise line told USA TODAY that the Carnival Horizon was “conducting a search for a guest who had jumped overboard” from Deck 11 around 7 p.m. ET. The incident happened after the ship departed Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands at 5 p.m., according to Carnival.
David Custer, passenger and a WNEM TV5 News anchor who was on board the ship which departed Sunday for a 6-day cruise from Miami, told USA TODAY that passengers were advised that camera footage confirmed that a person was went overboard.
“Our hearts sank when we heard the initial announcement,” Custer said. “We were having dinner and everyone ran to the nearest windows. The cruise manager made an announcement to confirm that a man had fallen overboard and asked anyone who could see anyone. one in the water to report it immediately.”
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James Presley, another passenger on the ship, told USA TODAY that immediately after the announcement, crew members threw life jackets with lights attached to the stern and port side of the ship. He posted a photo of one of the life jackets on Twitter.
After news of the passenger’s discovery was announced, Custer said an “overwhelming sadness” was palpable on board.
“Most entertainment has been canceled, including the main show at the theater,” Custer said. “It’s hard to relax and have a good time knowing that a family on board is dealing with such a tragic loss.”
According to CruiseMapper, the ship was sailing near the Turks and Caicos Islands just before 9 p.m. and is expected to be in the Mexican resort town of Cozumel on Thursday.
The ship was cleared by the Coast Guard to resume its scheduled route, according to Carnival.
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