Urgent search underway after British tourist, 76, falls overboard from cruise ship near Canary Islands

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world

Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email

Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email

An urgent search is taking place after a British passenger fell overboard from a cruise ship off the coast of Tenerife.

The 76-year-old man was reported missing from the Marella Explorer 2 on Thursday morning.

A Marella Cruises spokesperson told The Independent: “We are deeply saddened to confirm that a guest was seen entering the water while the ship was on passage to La Gomera. Our thoughts are with the individual and their loved ones during this difficult time.

“Our dedicated care team is supporting the family, providing assistance and comfort. We are working closely with local authorities and will continue to offer every possible support.”

open image in gallery

The Marella Explorer 2 is the only adult-only ship in the fleet (Getty)

The Spanish coastguard was first alerted to the incident at 9.48am on Thursday, when the ship was located 16.5 miles northwest of Punta Teno.

The boat was crossing between Funchal in Madeira and San Sebastian de La Gomera in Spain’s Canary Islands, according to news website Voz Populi.

Lesley-Anne Kelly, 40, who lives in Dundee, was on the ship with her mother, and recalled the moment passengers were informed at around 10am.

She said they were having breakfast and an alarm came on followed by someone’s voice saying repeatedly “Man overboard, man overboard, man overboard.”

Ms Kelly said crew members then all filed out to keep watch and the Coastguard arrived about half an hour after the announcement.

A few hours later when they were in their cabin, she said the captain came on to tell them a marker had been put down and the ship had to stay in position until the Coastguard said they could leave.

At about 7.30pm, Ms Kelly said the captain announced the search had been stood down due to darkness and that it would continue in the morning.

“It was pretty sombre last night, especially after the announcement that they were standing down the search,” she said.

Ms Kelly said passengers were told that witnesses were being interviewed.

“People had clearly seen it happen,” she said, adding: “It was breakfast time. Everybody was up and about. It was pretty bright, so yeah I can imagine if someone had gone in at that time of the day they would have been seen by multiple people.”

A maritime and aerial operation was launched, with a helicopter, two search vessels and an aircraft involved in the search. It was resumed this morning, with a Rio Guadiato patrol boat from La Palma also joining the search.

The Marella Explorer 2, which participated in the initial emergency search, had docked at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife at 2.40am local time.

The adults-only cruise ship launched 30 years ago and boasts 907 cabins across 14 decks, with ten bars and ten restaurants for guests to choose from, as well as a casino, a Broadway show lounge and an open-air cinema.