A passenger apparently went overboard on Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, while it was off the coast of Cuba Tuesday.
“The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities,” the company said.
Passengers on the 230,000-ton had been diverted from their original itinerary due to Hurricane Idalia, according to Cruise Hive.
The person, who has not been identified, reported went overboard a little before 9 a.m. Searchers have found no sign of the person.
Royal Caribbean confirmed the incident with a statement, “On August 29, a guest sailing on Wonder of the Seas went overboard. "
The Wonder of the Seas features 18 decks and can accommodate nearly 7,000 passengers and 2,300 crew members, according to Royal Caribbean.
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The crew spent about three hours searching the waters using spotlights, small craft and watchers after the ship turned around and retraced its route, according to the Cruise Hive.
The search was suspended following an unrelated medical emergency that forced the ship to go to Grand Cayman.
The incident was the fourth man overboard in two months.
On average, 19 people go overboard on cruise ships each year — and of those, only about four are rescued, according to a 2020 study commissioned by the industry trade group Cruise Lines International Association.