Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
The search for an elderly British passenger, who fell overboard from a cruise ship reserved exclusively for adults, is intensifying near the Canary Islands.
On Thursday morning, the alarm was sounded after the unidentified 76 year old tourist plunged in the Atlantic Ocean from the Marella Explorer 2 a 14 deck vessel run by TUI.
At the time of the accident, the 248-metre-long ship was traveling from the Canary Islands towards Madeira.
It is believed that the man fell into the Atlantic Ocean about 16 miles north of Tenerife’s northernmost point.
A spokesperson for the coastguard said:
“The man in question is a British passenger of 76 years old.”
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Once alerted by the crew, the captain immediately brought the ship to a near stop.
Crews began to search for the missing man by reviewing footage, launching markers buoys and performing circular searches.
A maritime and air search was conducted, including the use of a helicopter and aircraft as well as two specialist rescue vessels.
The spokesperson said that “today, November 28th, the search resumed in the early morning hours with the Helimer-201 helicopter. It will alternate with the Guardia Civil’s cuco helicopter.”
“In addition to the Rio Guadiato Patrol Boat from La Palma, has joined the search.”
The Tenerife Maritime Rescue Centre coordinates the search in collaboration with Guardia Civil.
“At 02:40am, Marella Explorer 2 docked in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.”
The luxury Malta flagged ship left Tenerife, Spain on November 21, for a 7-day trip that included stops in Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. It also made stops in Fuerteventura (Fuerteventura), Madeira, La Gomera, and Lanzarote.
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