Person Overboard: Search Underway Off Tenerife
Emergency teams are searching for a passenger believed to have fallen overboard from the Marella Explorer II cruise ship west of Tenerife on Thursday.
Emergency teams are searching for a person believed to have fallen overboard from a cruise ship sailing west of Tenerife.
It's reported the passenger went into the ocean under unknown circumstances. The incident occurred about 16 nautical miles (25.6 kilometers) northwest of Punta de Teno, off the island's coast.
The cruise ship involved is the Marella Explorer II, which was travelling from the Madeira archipelago to the Canary Islands.
Around midday on Thursday, the ship made an unusual stop, almost coming to a standstill. Later that afternoon, it started moving east again, along Tenerife's north coast.
The cruise ship reportedly stopped or slowed down after realizing a passenger was missing. Maritime Rescue teams then headed to the area to look for the person.
The Marella Explorer II is 30 years old. It can carry over 1,800 passengers and 843 crew members, and is about 250 meters long and 32 meters wide. A major global tour company currently operates the vessel.