LOST AT SEA: Search called off for missing cruise passenger

The US Coast Guard has suspended the search for a 35-year-old man who was reported missing from a Carnival cruise ship off of Florida’s Atlantic Coast. The agency said the man fell from the Carnival Magic about 300 km east of Jacksonville early Monday.

The man’s companion reported him missing, and the ship’s crew notified the Coast Guard. Security footage on the ship shows that the man “leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water” around 4 a.m., a statement said.

The Coast Guard searched for 60 hours, covering some 13,392 sq. km. through Wednesday evening. The search included air crews and the Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba, along with US Navy ships and aircraft in the area.

Carnival said the ship returned to port in Norfolk, Virginia. The ship can hold nearly 4,000 guests and is about 300 m. long.