Woman falls overboard from Carnival cruise ship off coast of Mexico
Dec. 11, 2021, 5:47 PM PST / Updated Dec. 11, 2021, 8:12 PM PST
A woman fell off a Carnival Cruise Lineship balcony and into the Pacific Ocean early Saturday morning, spurring an ongoing international search effort.
The incident, which happened near the coast of Ensenada, Mexico, aboard a Carnival Miracle ship, occurred shortly after 3 a.m. and was captured on security footage, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Passengers were notified shortly after, Carnival Miracle passenger Josh Zufelt told NBC News.
The ship came to a near complete stop around 3:30 a.m. as crew members dropped a lifeboat into the water, Zufelt said.
Coast Guard crews are working with members of the Mexican Navy to locate the woman, who appeared to be in her 20s.
Carnival Cruise Line said the Carnival Miracle ship was released after assisting with the search and continued on to Ensenada, about a 90-minute drive from the U.S. border.
“Our thoughts are with the guest and her family, and our Care Team is providing support,” Carnival said in a statement.
The ship will return to Long Beach as scheduled on Sunday morning, the cruise line said.
According to the company’s website, the Carnival Miracle cruise ship holds more than 2,100 guests and 934 crew members. It sails from Long Beach, San Diego and San Francisco to Alaska, Hawaii and Mexico. Trips aboard the ship range from two to more than 10 days.