A passenger fell overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship this week while en route from Australia to Hawaii.
The US Coast Guard in Honolulu, Hawaii, was alerted by a Quantum of the Seas ship that an Australian man had fallen off the ship around 11 p.m. local time Tuesday, according to a news release.
The Quantum of the Seas left Australia more than two weeks ago and is expected to reach its destination, Honolulu, on Friday.
The ship’s crew searched for approximately two hours beginning Tuesday night and deployed six life preservers, however the passenger was not located, the statement read.
A day later, Coast Guard crews began their search, with an aircrew searching the area, which is approximately 500 miles south of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, for six hours, to no avail.
According to the statement, the crew resumed their search at “first light” Thursday morning.
For its part, the Australian news outlet Nine News reported that an announcement was made on the ship requesting that all passengers return to their rooms and “give account” of all members of their group.
Witnesses saw the Australian man fall from the upper deck, 15 stories above, according to the outlet.
Georgina Thompson, a passenger on the cruise, told the Nine News that there is “a gloomy mood” aboard the ship as it continues on its way to Honolulu.
He added there was “quite a large swell” over the course of the night after the Australian man went down, which he said made it “almost impossible” to search the water.
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs told Nine News that it stands ready to help the man’s family as needed.
“The Australian Consulate General in Honolulu is working closely with local authorities,” the spokesperson said.
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