Passenger jumps overboard Carnival cruise ship off coast of Florida

Search for man set to continue through the night

The Carnival cruise ship Mardi Gras in 2021. (Screengrab of CBS 17 newscast)

A passenger jumped overboard from a Carnival cruise ship off the coast of Florida.

A search for the man, who fell from the deck of the Mardi Gras on Saturday morning, was due to continue through night, the company and the US Coast Guard said.

The cruise company deployed the Mardi Gras and another ship, Elation, to help with the search, before the Coast Guard fully took over, sending two cutters, the Heron and Ibis, as well as aircraft to look for the missing passenger.

“We have no new updates and are going to continue searching through the night,” a Coast Guard spokesperson told The Independent on Saturday.

Carnival said it was supporting the man’s family members, who were also onboard at the time of the incident, which took place about 55 miles east of Port Canaveral, near Orlando.

"The ship’s crew participated in search and rescue efforts until the ship was released by the US Coast Guard, which continues the search. The Carnival Care Team is supporting the guest’s family. Mardi Gras arrived to Port Canaveral and will be sailing its next itinerary," it said in a statement.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the guest and his family,” it added.

The ship was near the end of its voyage through The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and Turks and Caico, when the passenger went overboard.

One passenger told TMZ about a frantic search onboard the ship once staff realised someone had gone overboard.

Mardi Gras is the company’s flagship vessel, and began sailing Caribbean routes last summer, after being delayed by the pandemic.

A woman jumped off the deck of another Carnival ship two months ago.