Photo: ALEXIS DELELISI / AFP / Getty Images
An urgent search is underway in the Mediterranean Sea after a crew member from the Viking Star cruise ship went overboard on Monday morning (October 27). According to a spokesperson for Viking Cruises, the incident occurred at 11:31 a.m. local time. The ship immediately activated its emergency response and began coordinating with the Italian Coast Guard to locate the missing crew member.
The Viking Star, which can carry up to 930 passengers and approximately 500 crew members, was on a journey from Crete to Palermo, Sicily, when the incident occurred. Passengers on board were alerted through an announcement over the ship’s PA system, which visibly shocked many, including a waiter serving lunch. One passenger reportedly exclaimed, "I see someone," as others rushed to the railings to scan the ocean, a producer for Fox News, who was on the ship said.
A crew member was seen throwing an orange life ring into the sea and later lowering a smaller ring with an attached flare to mark the area where the crew member went overboard. The ship was slowly circling the area while the Italian Coast Guard conducted a maritime search. The cruise director announced that the search area had been expanded.
Details about the missing crew member and the circumstances of the incident remain unclear. The Viking Star's itinerary includes stops in Sicily, Naples, and Civitavecchia, a coastal city near Rome.