A search for a Royal Caribbean passenger who went overboard in the Adriatic Sea off Croatia’s coast has been extended into the weekend.
Although hopes are fading, the Croatian National Center for Search and Rescue at Sea believes there is still a chance of survival due to the relatively warm waters.
The search was extended due to warm waters
The search operation was extended for 12 hours. The man was not named but described as a young, male UK national.” There is no word yet on if they are referring to a cruise passenger or a crew member.
The man overboard alarm was raised on the Royal Caribbean ship Explorer of the Seas shortly before 4:00 a.m. Friday.
| One cruise guest posted on X: “Woken up on the cruise ship around 3.40am to the emergency message ‘Oscar Oscar Oscar off the port side. Man overboard. Been watching the rescue efforts off my balcony all day, hoping for a positive outcome.” |
“The man fell into the sea from a height of more than 30 meters, maybe there was an injury during the fall. Since the temperature of the sea is 24 degrees [75 F], this allows us to extend the search,” a search and rescue agency spokesperson said.
The man went overboard in the Adriatic Sea
The search operation focuses on Jabuka, an uninhabited volcanic island in the Adriatic Sea midway between Croatia and Italy.
The Explorer of the Seas departed Ravenna, Italy, on August 3 for a week-long sailing through Greece and Croatia. It made port calls in Athens, Santorini, and Dubrovnik and was heading to Zadar, Croatia, before returning to Ravenna.
In 2018, a British woman survived more than 10 hours treading water overnight in the Adriatic Sea after jumping overboard from Norwegian Star cruise ship. Kay Longstaff. 46, suffered only mild hypothermia after her ordeal.
So far, in 2024, 14 man overboard incidents were reported.
