Carnival Glory cruise ship passenger vanishes, Coast Guard searching Gulf of Mexico
A close-up of the Carnival Glory cruise ship arriving in Marseille.Carnival Cruise Lines ships in Marseille. (Photo by Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a passenger who went missing while traveling aboard the Carnival Glory cruise ship sailing in the Gulf of Mexico, officials said Tuesday.
The 28-year-old male passenger was reported missing by a family member on the ship Monday, a day after the Carnival Glory departed New Orleans for a weeklong journey, Carnival Cruise Line told FOX Business.
The crew began an immediate search for the missing guest and alerted the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).
"The Carnival Glory does not have footage or specific evidence that shows he went overboard, however, since he was not located on the vessel, we are currently searching for a potential person in the water," USCG Heartland told Fox News Digital.
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The Coast Guard identified the missing passenger as Tyler Barnett, of Houma, Louisiana, in a news release on Tuesday. Barnett's family asked for prayers in posts on social media.
After the ship’s team was unable to find the passenger aboard the cruise liner, Coast Guard Sector New Orleans launched an H144 aircraft from Mobile, Alabama, and a C130 aircraft from St. Petersburg, Florida, to conduct searches into the evening, USCG Heartland said.
"We are currently searching a large area that encompasses more than 200 miles of the ship’s voyage path due to the uncertainty of when he may have gone overboard," the agency said.
Dangerous weather conditions including strong winds and 8-to 12-foot waves forced crews to temporarily pause search operations overnight, officials said. The search will continue when it is safe to do so.
The USCG also issued an urgent marine information broadcast and message to mariners in the Gulf of Mexico to notify them of the missing passenger.
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Meanwhile, Carnival Glory was cleared to continue its journey to Montego Bay, Jamaica, as scheduled and is expected to arrive there Wednesday, the cruise line said.
The ship is also scheduled to make stops at Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico.
Read more of this story from FOX Business.