A cruise ship passenger was lost at sea when she had gone onto the deck as she felt sick and was knocked overboard by a freak wave, reports NZ Herald.
Woman lost at sea
New findings on what the woman was doing just before she fell, which happened as the Pacific Dawn was being lashed by heavy seas yesterday afternoon at 150 nautical miles west of New Caledonia.
The search for the woman has been called off and the Pacific Dawn is now heading towards Brisbane.
Declined Rescue operations
The cruise liner spent hours yesterday circling in rough seas while staff scoured the ocean for the woman. It remained in the area this morning to continue the search, but authorities confirmed it had now been abandoned.
The Captain this morning made an announcement to passengers confirming the search had been unsuccessful.
“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 The Courier Mail.
“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 crew member saw the woman fall over the side of the ship about 4pm AEST yesterday afternoon, but the exact details — and the woman’s age — have not been confirmed by P & O, the ship’s owner.
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Source: NZ Herald
