Search for woman who fell overboard cruise ship called-off

Search for woman who fell overboard cruise ship called-off

Early on Friday morning the captain of a P&O cruise ship was forced to make an announcement no captain wants to make.

Around 4 pm Thursday afternoon, a woman fell overboard from the Pacific Dawn around 150 nautical miles west of New Caledonia, reports SBS. 

After an extensive search that went on throughout the night, the Captain was forced to make the announcement to passengers that the search was called off.

“It is with a very heavy heart that I need to let you know that we have been unable to locate our guest,” he said, according to SBS.

“We are still in the area of the incident, and the weather conditions with the swell three to four metres high, as you can see outside, the strong wind made our search extremely challenging.”

“As a result, we have now made the extremely difficult decision to continue our journey towards Brisbane.”

“I know I speak on behalf of all of you when I say our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”

A carnival Australia spokesperson said the difficult decision was made following expert advice that survival after a certain length of time in difficult sea conditions was not considered possible.

“In line with this response, Pacific Dawn turned around to follow the course it was on at the time of the incident,” he said, according to SBS.

Passengers who witnessed the event say the woman’s husband saw her fall and went into shock, said the Courier Mail.

Other passengers report the mood on the ship was very “sad and solemn.”

Queensland police will be meeting the vessel when it arrives in Brisbane and will assist overseas authorities with the investigation.

A spokeswoman for Queensland police said the primary responsibility lies with the ship’s flag state which is the UK, reports SBS. 

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