The U.S. Coast Guard launched an aerial search on Monday afternoon for an elderly man who is believed to have fallen overboard from a cruise ship that docked in San Francisco and left the city Tuesday morning.
As of Monday night, the man had not been located, and the Coast Guard was in active discussions to suspend the search unless new information was received, according to USCG spokesperson Loumania Stewart.
The first air crew was dispatched from Sacramento aboard a C-27 aircraft at about 3 p.m. Monday to search an area about 45 miles off the coast of Monterey. Another Coast Guard crew was sent from San Francisco aboard a helicopter at about 4 p.m., Stewart said.
Princess Cruises released the following statement on Monday night: “CCTV footage has also been extensively reviewed and the ship was searched thoroughly several times without success. Having ruled out other possibilities, this is being treated as a man overboard incident.”
The man was aboard the Ruby Princess, a 951-foot-long cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruise Lines Ltd.
The ship is 195 feet high at its tallest point. It has 19 decks and about 900 balconies, according to the company's website. The ship can hold 3,080 passengers and 1,200 crew.
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Princess Cruises did not release the name of the man who fell from the ship, but they said in their statement, “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the guest who was traveling alone.”
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