by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:30 AM ET, Tue December 31, 2019
Search and rescue teams continue the hunt for a passenger who reportedly jumped from a Norwegian Cruise Line ship Sunday near New Zealand.
According to the New Zealand Herald, an unnamed 62-year-old Australian man allegedly jumped from the side of the Norwegian Jewel at around 7 p.m. local time as the ship passed the Mahia Peninsula.
The Norwegian Jewel was sailing from Napier through the Hawke's Bay region before it was scheduled to conclude its sailing in Auckland. The cruise line said witness accounts and CCTV footage indicates the man jumped over the railing into the water below.
"Unfortunately, the guest has not been found," a Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the individual's family during this difficult time."
In addition to the Norwegian Jewel circling back to the area and conducting its own search, two container ships, an Air Force helicopter and two yachts in the area assisted in the hunt for the man, but nothing had been discovered.
It remained unclear if the man had been traveling alone or was on the voyage with someone else, but the resulting search caused the cruise line to cancel its scheduled stop in Tauranga.
In November, a female passenger onboard Hurtigruten's MS Finnmarken died after falling overboard in Norway. She was found during a search and rescue effort approximately one hour later and taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later.
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