Search Halted for Cruise Crew Member Who Fell Overboard

Passengers aboard the Norwegian Breakaway woke to a ship-wide alert early Sunday after a crew member went overboard off the Massachusetts coast, CBS News reports. The US Coast Guard says security footage showed the person falling from the Bermuda-to-Boston cruise about 12 miles off Wellfleet, a Cape Cod town, triggering an overnight search involving helicopters and a Coast Guard boat crew out of Provincetown. Passengers say they woke to the so-called "Code Oscar" alerts indicating someone had fallen overboard, and the ship made a sharp U-turn, NBC Boston reports.

Lifeboats were deployed and the ship remained in the area for hours before continuing on to Boston, arriving just before noon. The Coast Guard suspended its search shortly after midday, saying efforts would resume only if new information emerges. The crew member's identity and the circumstances of the fall have not been made public. In a letter to passengers, Norwegian Cruise Line said the vessel's focus on search-and-rescue delayed embarkation and emphasized that "the safety and well-being of those at sea remain at the heart of every decision we make." The cruise line lost another crew member at sea near Mexico weeks ago, Fox Business reports.