A passenger on board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship is missing after they went overboard Tuesday evening during a trip from Brisbane, Australia to Honolulu, Hawaii.
In a statement, the U.S. Coast Guard said it received a report of a man overboard from the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship just after 11:00 p.m. Hawaii-Aleutian standard time on Tuesday night. The unnamed Australian passenger reportedly disappeared some 800 kilometres south of Kailua Kona, Big Island.
“The crew of the cruise ship remained on scene to search for approximately two hours, deploying six life rings,” the Coast Guard wrote.
Aircrews launched early Wednesday and arrived at the area around 9 a.m. to begin searching. After six hours, the aircraft returned to a base in Hawaii to refuel.
The cruisegoer has not been seen since falling overboard. The Quantum of the Seas cruise ship has continued its journey toward Hawaii, where it will dock on Friday.
Royal Caribbean confirmed to CNN affiliate Nine News that a passenger was missing.
“While on its trans-pacific sailing, a guest onboard Quantum of the Seas went overboard,” the company said in a statement. “The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities.”
The Coast Guard’s search for the lost passenger began again “at first light” Thursday.
Onboard the ship, passengers have reported a new “sombre” atmosphere since the Australian native went overboard.
The Quantum of the Seas cruise ship departed from Brisbane on April 12. The voyage concludes Friday.
The 16-storey ship Quantum of the Seas holds nearly 4,900 passengers and boasts a 1,500-member crew, as per the company’s website.