Royal Caribbean Passenger Goes Overboard on Explorer of the Seas
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A frantic search is underway after a British cruise passenger fell overboard into the Adriatic Sea near Croatia in the middle of the night on August 9, 2024.
Croatian authorities reported that a young British passenger from Royal Caribbean’s *Explorer of the Seas* went missing in the early hours of Friday and has not been seen since.
Several ships have joined the search efforts after an alarm was raised on the luxury vessel, which has a capacity of 3,286 passengers. The ship was reportedly on a seven-day Greece-Croatia route that departed on Saturday, August 3.
One passenger on the cruise, Nicole Bullock, described the experience, saying she was jolted awake by an emergency announcement blaring through the ship.
She wrote online: “I woke up around 3:40 a.m. to the emergency message, ‘Oscar Oscar Oscar off the port side.’ Man overboard.”
“I’ve been watching the rescue efforts from my balcony all day, hoping for a positive outcome,” she added.
A search and rescue operation is currently being conducted on the tiny, uninhabited volcanic island of Jabuka. The ship-tracking website VesselFinder showed the 138,000-ton ship sailing in circles as it searched for the missing passenger.
The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office stated that they are aware of reports of a person overboard and are in contact with the cruise line.
Although hopes are fading, the Croatian National Center for Search and Rescue at Sea believes there is still a chance of survival due to the relatively warm waters.
“The man fell into the sea from a height of more than 30 meters, so there may have been injuries during the fall. However, with the sea temperature at 24 degrees Celsius (75°F), this allows us to extend the search,” said a spokesperson from the search and rescue agency.
The search operation was extended by 12 hours this weekend. The missing individual has not been named but is described as a young male UK national. It is unclear whether the person is a passenger or a crew member.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the missing individual, the search teams, and the passenger’s family during this difficult time.
