British tourist 'falls overboard' from cruise ship near Croatia
9 August 2024, 18:34 | Updated: 9 August 2024, 19:50
A British tourist has fallen overboard from a cruise ship near Croatia, according to the country's authorities.
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The man, who has not been named, is said to have fallen from the Explorer of the Seas cruise ship in the Adriatic Sea in the early hours of Friday morning, sparking a huge search.
Croatian officials said that coastguard boats, other cruise ships, a drone and a plane were searching for the man in the area of the Vis archipelago. The cruise ship was heading from Dubrovnik towards Zadar, further north up the coast.
Nicole Bullock, who said she was a passenger on the same cruise, wrote on social media: "Woken up on the cruise ship... to the emergency message “Oscar Oscar Oscar off the port side.”
"Man overboard. Been watching the rescue efforts off my balcony all day, hoping for a positive outcome."
Read more: Crew member dies after plunging from cruise ship docked at UK pier
Woken up on the cruise ship around 3:40am to the emergency message “Oscar Oscar Oscar off the port side.” Man overboard. Been watching the rescue efforts off my balcony all day, hoping for a positive outcome. pic.twitter.com/NYWjBYVIl5
— Nicole Bullock (@cuteculturechic) August 9, 2024
Speaking to Croatian outlet HRT, Captain Željko Kuštera from the Port Authority of Split said that the outlook for the man was unclear.
"It is the height of the cruiser itself," he said. "The sea is warm, but everything depends on the circumstances, how he fell into the sea, but it works out that it is now summer and the sea is quite warm, so we plan to continue this action."
The Croatian government said in a statement: "The National Center for Coordination of Search and Rescue at Sea in Rijeka (MRCC) is coordinating the search and rescue operation for a missing person in the sea of the Vis archipelago, which was launched this morning, August 9 at 05:00, after receiving a report from the captain of a passenger ship while sailing near the islets Jabuka, from the direction of Dubrovnik towards Zadar.
"In accordance with the established search and rescue plan, the Port Authority of Split, the Office of the Port Authority in Hvar, and the Coast Guard of the Republic of Croatia with a ship and an aircraft are involved in the search for the young citizen of the United Kingdom."
Royal Caribbean has been contacted for comment.
