NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a cruise ship passenger who is missing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Coast Guard officials said Thursday that an airplane is conducting search patterns off the coast of Louisiana.
The Coast Guard says it received a call Wednesday afternoon that a 32-year-old woman had fallen overboard from the Carnival Valor cruise ship about 150 miles (240 kilometers) offshore of Southwest Pass, Louisiana.
A spokesman for south Florida-based Carnival Cruise Line said the woman had jumped from her balcony.
According to the Associated Press, the woman was traveling with her husband, who was being provided support by Carnival’s CARE team.
The Carnival Valor, which sails from New Orleans to Caribbean destinations, can carry nearly 3,000 guests and 1,180 crew members.
The AP reported that the ship arrived Thursday at its homeport of New Orleans after a five-day cruise to Mexico.
