Friday, January 2, 2009

Coast Guard Searches For Missing Carnival Employee

News reports indicate that the US Coast Guard plans to resume the search today for a Carnival Cruise Lines employee who fell 82 feet from Carnival Sensation less than an hour into the New Year on Thursday morning.

While the employee's identity has not been released, co-workers indicated he was an off-duty entertainment staff member who may have been trying to take a photograph when he accidentally fell overboard. Fellow workers who witnessed the fall threw him a life ring, and ship officials began to search immediately, while contacting the Coast Guard for assistance.

Today's search will focus on following wind and wave patterns in the area, according to The Palm Beach Post. Search-and-rescue teams are combing nearly 2,000 square miles by sea and air, but conditions—including high waves, strong winds and currents—hamper the man's chances of survival without a life jacket in the 72 degree water.

Sensation was cleared to return to port after assisting in the search, docking at Port Canaveral around 10am Thursday after a 4-day Bahamian cruise.

More stories: Sun-Sentinel, UPI.com, Orlando Sentinel, CNN.com

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