A 73-year-old individual passed away following an incident where he fell overboard from the Disney Wonder cruise ship over the weekend. The man, a resident of Melbourne, reportedly fell off the ship on Saturday morning while it was en route to Auckland. Search and rescue operations were initiated by the crew, lasting about five hours, but unfortunately, the man could not be located. The cruise ship had to alter its course in the Tasman Sea as efforts to find the man were conducted using thermal imaging cameras.
According to reports, the man fell from the ship around 4:30 am, but other passengers only became aware of the situation hours later, at approximately 12 pm. Passenger Mitch Talbot shared with 7News that the captain informed the passengers about the incident and the unsuccessful search efforts. This news cast a somber and eerie atmosphere for the rest of the day, with many staff members taking a moment to reflect on the unfortunate event.
Victoria Police mentioned on Sunday that the man’s body had not been recovered yet, stating that there were no suspicions of foul play involved. The Disney Wonder has resumed its journey, and passengers are expected to arrive in New Zealand one day later than planned. The ship has a capacity for up to 1,750 passengers spread over 11 decks.
The Mirror has reached out to Victoria Police for additional details.