(WFLA) — A man was rescued from the Gulf of Mexico Thursday after he went overboard from a Carnival cruise ship, according to reports.
CNN reported that the U.S. Coast Guard saved the man after he went missing from the Carnival Valor.
Carnival officials said the man’s sister said he was previously seen leaving a bar on the Valor at around 11 p.m. Wednesday, but he never came back to his room.
By noon Thursday, the woman reported that her brother was missing, leading the Carnival Valor to retrace the route to help find him. At around 2:30 p.m., the Coast Guard got the call from the cruise ship and launched a search-and-rescue operation.
The man was found alive and aware by another crew. Afterward, a helicopter crew airlifted the man and took him to New Orleans to get medical attention.
According to a passenger who spoke to CNN, the cruise ship put out an alert for a missing passenger but did not make an official announcement explaining what happened at the time. Later on, they were told there was a man overboard, but the ship was released from the search and back on course to Cozumel, Mexico.
Carnival Cruise Lines released a statement thanking the Coast Guard for their help.
“We greatly appreciate the efforts of all, most especially the U.S. Coast Guard and the mariner who spotted the guest in the water,” the brief statement said.
