Passenger plunges overboard from Norwegian Epic cruise ship sparking frantic search effort near Bahamas

A FRANTIC was launched for a cruise ship passenger who went over board on the way to the Bahamas.

The search was abandoned on Thursday night after a 51-year-old man, who has not been named, fell overboard at approximately 3pm earlier that day.

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One of Norwegian Cruise Line’s commercial vessels[/caption]

The man had been on board Norwegian Cruise Line’s boat Norwegian Epic, sailing northbound from Ocho Rios, Jamaica, to the Bahamas when he went overboard.

A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line told the Daily Mail: “The authorities were immediately notified, and a search and rescue operation under the guidance and oversight of the Bahamas Rescue Coordination Center went underway.”

After the search was declared unsuccessful, the ship was “released by the authorities to continue its voyage”.

The man who went overboard was travelling with a large group, including his family.

His family members are being “attended to and supported during this very challenging situation,” the cruise liner spokesperson added.

The ship departed Port Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday and is currently on a seven-night Western Caribbean voyage.

The vessel is now being diverted to Nassau.

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The ‘Norwegian Breakaway’ leaves the building dock at the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, 2013[/caption]

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