The coast guard is searching the Florida Keys for a man who went overboard on Friday on a Carnival Victory cruise ship.
It is unclear how 26-year-old Thomas McElhany went overboard the Carnival victory, but the incident is now being called an “intentional act” by the cruise line.
“Sadly, all the facts surrounding this unfortunate incident indicate it was an intentional act,” a Carnival spokesman told NBC News. “We remain hopeful that the U.S. Coast Guard effort will bring positive news.”
McElhany went overboard on Friday morning while the ship was 35 miles south of Islamorada, according to the coast guard. The four-night cruise started in Miami and returned back there on schedule on Friday.
A helicopter, surveillance aircraft, and vessel have been deployed in search of McElhany. The coast guard sent out a tweet Friday evening that the search is ongoing.
#HappeningNow The @USCG continues their search & will continue to search throughout the night for missing 26-year-old, Thomas McElhany, who went overboard a cruise ship 35 miles south of Islamorada.#Searching#KnowYourMil
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) December 15, 2018