Cruise ship passenger dies after going overboard

A 46-year-old passenger went overboard as the ship was docked in Old San Juan.

January 23, 2020, 7:22 AM

A passenger on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship "Oasis of the Seas" has died after going overboard in Puerto Rico.

A team of divers from the Puerto Rico Police and the San Juan Municipal Police recovered the body of a Florida man who had gone overboard while the ship was docked in Old San Juan Wednesday night, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.

The victim was a 46-year-old man from Naples, Florida, according to officials.

PHOTO: Local authorities join the U.S. Coast Guard on the search of a person who reportedly went overboard from a cruise ship just off Puerto Rico's north shore, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020.
Local authorities join the U.S. Coast Guard on the search of a person who reportedly went overboard from a cruise ship just off Puerto Rico's north shore, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. According to Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad, the incident involved the Oasis of the Seas ship operated by Royal Caribbean International.
Carlos Giusti/AP

Authorities confirmed that a person went overboard by reviewing closed-circuit television footage aboard the ship.

A statement subsequently released by Royal Caribbean Thursday morning said the footage indicated that the man intentionally went overboard.

The Coast Guard launched multiple response boats as well as a rescue helicopter when the initial call came in at 7:50 p.m. Wednesday local time.

The Coast Guard initially established a 300-yard “safety zone” perimeter around the ship, keeping two other nearby cruise ships from leaving the dock. But the safety zone was subsequently lifted, allowing the ships to proceed.

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