Fears for a person who jumped off a Carnival cruise ship simply hours after a fellow passenger died
A desperate search and rescue is underway after a passenger jumped off a Carnival Splendor cruise ship.
Emergency crews are still scouring the waters after a man in his 70s fell into the ocean 30km northeast of Moreton Island, near Brisbane, on Friday night.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is handling the operation with assistance from Queensland Police.
The department currently has five rescue helicopters, six surface vessels and its Cairns and Melbourne-based Challenger jets looking for the man.
Rescue teams were first contacted by the Master of Carnival Splendor after the man had jumped into the ocean.
The rescue operation comes just hours after a Tasmanian woman, 67, from the same ship drowned during a stopover near the shipwrecks at Moreton Island.
The woman had been snorkeling when she ran into trouble and despite efforts by an off-duty lifesaver who pulled her to shore, she died at the scene.
A report is now being prepared for the coroner.
A desperate rescue operation is currently underway after a man jumped overboard and into the waters off the Carnival Splendor cruise ship on Friday
This follows the death of another passenger on board who drowned while snorkelling off Moreton Island hours earlier
The two incidents are not believed to be related
The cruise line is currently assisting authorities with their rescue of the man who, a spokeswoman said, ‘climbed over the safety railing and jumped overboard’.
‘The male guest was travelling with family who alerted the ship’s crew of a possible missing person, and a review of the CCTV footage confirmed the guest’s action,’ a Carnival Cruise Line spokeswoman told the Courier Mail.
‘All appropriate authorities have been alerted and Carnival will assist authorities in their investigation upon the ship’s return to Sydney.
‘Carnival’s Care Team is supporting the guest’s family and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their loved one.’
Another spokesperson told the publication that the company was saddened by the death of its female passenger and that her family had been offered support.
The two incidents are not believed to be related, and the search for the man remains ongoing.
Daily Mail contacted Carnival Splendor and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority for more information.
