UPDATE 9.45PM: There has been no sign of a woman believed to have gone overboard early Thursday evening, according to the captain, a Bundaberg woman on board the P&O cruise ship Pacific Dawn said.
The captain updated passengers about an hour ago.
The cruise ship will hold position and continue to search until t least midnight.
The woman on board said no official information had yet been given as to the identity of the woman involved in the tragic incident.
The Australian Maritime Safety Bureau and New Caledonian authorities have issued a call for nearby vessels to assist in the search. An AMSA spokeswoman said there are no other rescue boats tasked in the search with the cruise ship alone left to trawl the area.
"It would take days for anyone to reach the area it's so remote," the spokeswoman said.
Passenger Jon Trevithick, posted a picture on Twitter at 5.30pm, of a lone rescue ring in the sea. "Horrendous here on ship," he wrote. "Ship going round and round searching".
"We have been told very little," he tweeted. "I didn't know it was a woman. It happened around 5pm. I was on deck and heard someone cry, 'man overboard'. The ship ground to a halt which took a while, of course. It turned around and found the (possibly 2nd) life buoy.
"Not looking good. Nightfall now. Ship still searching."
A life buoy floats in the sea as the search goes on.
EARLIER: A frantic search is underway for a woman who went overboard on the P&O cruise ship Pacific Dawn.
A crew member saw the woman fall over the side of the ship about 4pm AEST, 150 nautical miles west of New Caledonia, the ship's owner P&O said.
"A crew member notified the bridge straight away and the 'man overboard' incident response was activated immediately," spokesman David Jones said in a statement.
"In line with this response, Pacific Dawn turned around to follow the course it was on at the time of the incident."
The Australian Maritime Safety Bureau and New Caledonian authorities have issued a call for nearby vessels to assist in the search.
The ship at 4.43pm Queensland time was located west of New Caledonia closest to the northern town of Tiabet.
A screen showing the cruise ship's position.
A Bundaberg woman on board the ship said it was travelling to Noumea from Port Vila in Vanuatu en route to Brisbane.
The ship is expected to dock back in Brisbane on Saturday morning after it left last Saturday.
The woman described the scene on board and they are still searching for the missing woman.
"We heard the man overboard announcement around 5pm," she said.
"The boat stopped and turned, life rings were thrown out and we are still searching.
"Captain has advised we will continue to search until person is found or until coast guard calls off search."
The woman said it was now dark out at sea and the search had been going for more than two hours.
She added kids are scared about what is happening on the ship.
The Bundaberg families on board are safe and accounted for, according to the woman on board.
Queensland Police and P&O were contacted for comment but could not be reached.
- Shane Jones and AAP
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "'Horrendous' Pacific Dawn captain updates on woman overboard"
Post a Comment