The man was traveling with his sister on the Carnival Valor cruise ship, which left Wednesday from New Orleans in the USA. Around 11:00 p.m., the man disappeared but his disappearance was not reported by his sister until the next day at around 12:00 p.m., according to a spokesperson for the shipping company quoted by CNN.
At around 2:30 p.m. the Coast Guard was called and deployed helicopters, planes and boats to search for the man overboard.
The US Coast Guard later tweeted that they identified a drowning man as the missing passenger. He showed signs of hypothermia, shock and dehydration, but his condition was stable.
Rescuer Seth Gross, in charge of coordinating the mission, told CNN that the man was unable to provide details on the circumstances of his fall. But the rescuer said he had never been confronted with such a situation in his 17-year career. “It proves that the will to live is something to consider in any rescue, because it can go beyond all expectations.” He called this survival a miracle worthy of Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Day, celebrated Thursday in the United States.