Spanish authorities are currently conducting a search operation in the Atlantic Ocean for a 76-year-old British tourist who fell overboard from a cruise ship on November 27. The elderly passenger, whose identity has not been disclosed, was on board the TUI Marella Explorer 2 cruise ship when he fell into the sea, approximately 19 miles from Punta de Teno, a nature reserve on the coast of Tenerife, Spain.
The Spanish coast guard initiated the search operation on the same day the passenger was reported missing. As of Saturday, no traces of the missing passenger had been found. The circumstances surrounding how the man fell overboard remain unclear.
The TUI group, which operates the cruise ship, confirmed that the missing passenger was last seen entering the water while the ship was en route to La Gomera. In a statement, the company expressed its concern for the individual and their family, stating that a dedicated care team was providing support and assistance to the family. The company is also working closely with local authorities in the ongoing search operation.
The cruise ship was traveling from Madeira, a Portuguese archipelago, to the Canary Islands at the time of the incident. La Gomera is one of the seven islands that make up the Canary Islands.
Upon realizing the passenger was missing, the ship’s captain activated the “man overboard” protocol. This involved extensive reviews of the ship’s camera footage, circular search maneuvers, and the deployment of multiple marker rafts. The coastguard’s resources, including two specialized vessels and an emergency helicopter, were later added to the search efforts.
The Marella Explorer 2, a massive 800-foot vessel with a capacity of over 2,100 passengers, resumed its journey through the Canary Islands on November 28. This incident follows a similar occurrence last week when a 73-year-old passenger on a Disney Wonder cruise was presumed dead after jumping overboard in Australian waters.