Holland America Line: Woman, 77, feared dead after falling overboard from Nieuw Statendam cruise ship after it sailed out of Florida
A 77-year-old woman is feared dead after falling overboard from a popular cruise ship.
The pensioner is said to have fallen overboard off the ship after it sailed out of Florida. She was on board a Holland America Line cruise ship called Nieuw Statendam that was sailing off the coast of Cuba when the woman went overboard, authorities revealed.
Multiple crews were out searching for her on Thursday by sea and air. They covered 690 square miles, and after about eight hours, decided to call off the search, WFLA reports.
Holland America Line initially said: “The captain and crew initiated search and rescue procedures and are searching the area working closely with the US Coast Guard which has deployed a cutter and helicopter to assist.” The Coast Guard updated later Thursday that it has suspended the search for the woman “pending the development of new information”.
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Ship records show Nieuw Statendam departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on December 27 for a seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruise. Due to the search, the ship’s planned call to Key West, Florida, on Friday was cancelled, the cruise line said.
The Nieuw Statendam ship is 975 feet long and about 115 feet wide and can accommodate nearly 2,700 guests, according to the company’s website. Among the many trips offered by the cruise company aboard the ship is a seven-day Caribbean excursion for about $600.