Missing Virginia Tech Student: Coast Guard Calls of Search for Student Who Fell off Cruise Ship
ByA 21-year-old student at Virginia Tech has been missing since he fell off a cruise ship Sunday and the U.S. Coast Guard has now suspended the search.
According to CBS affiliate WDBJ7, authorities confirmed seeing the man fall overboard from the Carnival Glory cruise ship via surveillance footage. The ship returned to the area where he fell and the Coast Guard joined the search as well.
Also joining in was the Carnival Ecstasy ship, but efforts have been fruitless. Vance Gulliksen, a spokesman for Carnival, said both ships have resumed their itineraries as of Tuesday.
The Coast Guard searched more than 6,000 square nautical miles with the help of a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and a HC-144 search and rescue plane. But as of Tuesday evening, the Coast Guard called off the search.
"We've been in contact with the next of kin, briefing them every day," Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios told NBC News. "But unless there's any kind of new development, we've decided to suspend the search."
Glory departed from Miami on Sunday and was en route to Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas on a seven-day cruise. The student fell from the ship some five miles southwest of Abaco Island in the Bahamas.
It is unclear who the student was traveling with on the cruise, but Carnival's CareTeam has said it is providing support for those he was with, NBC affiliate WSLS10 reported.
"We extend our heartfelt sympathy and concern for the family and loved ones of our missing guest," the company said in a statement.