A crew member fell overboard from a Norwegian cruise ship off the coast of Massachusetts Sunday, sparking a major search and rescue operation.
Security camera footage shows the unidentified worker plunging off the side of the Norwegian Breakaway and into the freezing waters some 12 miles from Cape Cod.
The ship, which can hold roughly 4,000 passengers, was returning to Boston after a 7-day round-trip cruise to Bermuda when the crew member fell overboard just after 1:15 a.m., CBS News reported, citing the US Coast Guard.
“It’s very heartbreaking. [Sunday] morning they ended up saying that someone went over, a crew went over the ledge,” passenger Rebecca Durandisse of Needham, Mass., told CBS News.
“I was in my estate room, lying in bed. I was drifting off to sleep when I noticed a light go on that woke me up, because I had my window open. And then I heard some loud noises,” she added.
Despite a ship-wide man overboard announcement being issued and lifeboats being launched, emergency services were not able to locate the missing crew member.
A search helicopter from the US Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England was also scrambled, along with a crew from Coast Guard Station Provincetown.
Another helicopter took off later Sunday afternoon, but the search was suspended just after noon “pending new information,” according to the Coast Guard.
Norwegian Breakaway arrived at Boston’s Black Falcon Terminal just before noon Sunday, with all passengers receiving a letter explaining the reason for the later-than-expected embarkation.
“Overnight and into the early morning hours, the ship remained engaged in search and rescue efforts following a man overboard situation, working closely with maritime authorities,” the letter read.
“These efforts required the vessel’s full attention before the voyage could safely resume toward Boston. Situations such as these are never easy, and the safety and well-being of those at sea remain at the heart of every decision we make,” the letter continued.
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