US Coast Guard searches for cruise ship worker who went overboard near Puerto Rico

Cruise ship worker goes overboard near Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a Royal Caribbean cruise ship worker who climbed over the ship’s railings as it traveled past Puerto Rico, officials said Thursday.

After crew members reported him missing on Wednesday night, officials reviewed the ship’s video cameras and saw the lowering himself over the side of the ship, spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said.

The captain immediately turned the ship around, alerted the Coast Guard and headed toward the location where the man went overboard, she said.

Officials did not release the name of the 26-year-old man.

Coast Guard Spokesman Ricardo Castrodad says crews are looking for the man 138 miles (222 kilometers) north of the coastal town of Isabela in Puerto Rico.

The Explorer of the Seas was on a 10-day trip that left Bayonne, New Jersey on April 29 and is scheduled to arrive on Saturday.