The US Coast Guard (USCG) has suspended its search for a British woman believed to have gone overboard from a Tui cruise ship while it was crossing the Atlantic. The 72-year-old was last seen on Monday aboard the Marella Voyager, which was en route to the Caribbean.
Staff on the Marella Voyager realised she was missing on Tuesday after noticing her "bed untouched". The USCG received a missing report at approximately 19:30 EST (00:30 GMT) on Tuesday, by which time the ship was around 500 nautical miles from where she was believed to have entered the water.
The woman is thought to have gone overboard in a remote area of the North Atlantic, roughly 1,400 nautical miles from Bermuda. The coordinated international search and rescue effort was called off on Wednesday at about 15:50 EST (20:50 GMT), citing factors such as the extensive search area, elapsed time, lack of available search assets, and the low likelihood of survival.
The Marella Voyager, carrying around 2,000 passengers and 800 crew, departed Malaga on 4 November and is scheduled to arrive in Antigua on Friday. Marella Cruises stated it was "deeply saddened" by the disappearance and is supporting authorities. The UK Foreign Office is also supporting the family of the missing British national.