A man jumped from the deck of the Carnival Cruise ship Mardi Gras off the coast of Florida early Saturday, morning. And after several days, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended their search late Monday.
The 43-year-old man jumped just after midnight on Saturday, when the ship was about 55 miles east of Port Canaveral, according to the Coast Guard and Carnival.
The Coast Guard sent out two cutters and an airplane to search for the man. Passengers told local station Fox 35 Orlando that after the announcement confirming a man overboard, the ship circled the area for more than an hour.
“The ship turned around to go back to look for the person,” passenger Dominique Rice told Fox 35. “So, we were delayed this morning.”
The Mardi Gras is the largest ship — and one of the newest — built by the cruise line, according to CBS Miami. The 1,130-foot-long ship is the first with an onboard roller coaster, and it has 21 decks and several themed zones and branded restaurants from the likes of Guy Fieri and Shaq.
The Coast Guard released the cruise ship from search efforts on Saturday, and the ship continued to sail to Port Canaveral.
The Coast Guard later suspended their own search efforts for the 43-year-old-man on Monday, as relayed by CBS News.
“This evening I made the difficult decision to suspend the search for Mr. Tran,” Capt. Mark Vlaun, Commander of the Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, said in a statement. “We are grateful to Carnival for the swift response and support to the family. Our deepest condolences go out to Mr. Tran’s family and friends during this difficult time.”
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