A passenger who fell off the Carnival cruise ship miraculously survived in the Gulf of Mexico after 15 hours. He got into trouble for using an e-cigarette, and it's possible he was intoxicated when he fell overboard.
A cruise line company reported on Wednesday evening that an unknown 28-year-old man had gone missing after going to the restroom with his sister at the bar on the Carnival Valor. He has not been seen since.
She only reported his disappearance on Thursday afternoon, prompting the ship bound for Cozumel, Mexico to turn back and the United States Coast Guard to initiate a search along the New Orleans coast.
The individuals onboard a cargo ship notified authorities upon discovering a man who was rescued from the waters approximately 20 miles south of the Southwest Pass of Louisiana. A dramatic video depicts the man being pulled from the water, exhibiting signs of hypothermia, shock, and dehydration.
He told rescuers that he was unsure how he had ended up in the water.
Another passenger, Whitney Gaines, told the Daily Mail that on the morning after he went missing, she overheard the man's family discussing him during breakfast.
They talked about how he always got into trouble for smoking e-cigarettes in non-designated smoking areas because there was only one area where you could really smoke," Gaines told the media. "I think they were suggesting he went out somewhere," she said, adding that his family believes he was drunk before he disappeared.
Gaines also told the Daily Mail that the sister of the man stated she had gone to the bar with him.
The passenger recalled hearing the woman say, "He was with me, and then he was gone," in standard journalistic English.
According to a report by CNN, Gains said that a water tank on the ship has dried up, but no missing persons have been officially declared.
Her husband, Mike Anderson, stated that he witnessed the crew searching for a passenger and eventually received notice of the missing individual.
I noticed that the security personnel began searching the ship using photos of the missing passenger from their phones," he told CNN.
A heart-racing video captured the moment when a man was rescued by the US Coast Guard's MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter off the coast of New Orleans.
Lieutenant Seth Gross, the search and rescue mission coordinator, stated in a declaration given to KPLC, "We greatly appreciate the positive resolution of this case.
He said, "Coast Guard duty officers, responders, and our professional maritime partners operating in the Gulf of Mexico worked together to locate the missing individual and transport them to a safe location," he said.
If it weren't for the vigilant crew on the motorboat Crinis, the outcome of this case could have been much more difficult," Gross added, referring to a passing cargo ship.
Carnival said in a statement to the Daily Mail, "We are extremely grateful for everyone's efforts, especially the United States Coast Guard and the sailors who found the guest in the water.
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