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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Woman grapples with cruise ship security before 'jumping' overboard and vanishing

A video of a woman who vanished overboard on a cruise ship shows her grappling with security guards before she allegedly jumped off a balcony.

The footage captures three of the ship's staff holding her arms behind her back as things turned frantic on deck.

She can be heard yelling out the name 'Alicia' as guards help her up a flight of stairs after an alleged hot tub incident.

The unnamed passenger was on board the 13-floor Carnival Valor when it is claimed she jumped into the ocean.

A search was then launched 150 miles from Louisiana coast, but it has now been called off by the Coast Guard in the Gulf of Mexico.

The woman is seen struggling with cruise ship security moments before she allegedly jumped off a balcony and vanished (WVUE)

Crews threw life rafts and a flare to help Coast Guard officials with their search for the woman.

The woman was removed by security following an alleged hot tub incident on the pool deck of the ship, which carries 2,980 guests and 1,180 crew members.

She was on a five-day cruise that departed New Orleans on Saturday and struggled with security before going overboard.

The video doesn’t show the moment she 'jumped' off the ship and it isn’t clear how she broke free from the guards.

Another video shows the moments after she fell overboard (WVUE)
The search for the passenger was ended on Thursday night (WVUE)

One passengers claimed the woman hit the side of the boat before hitting the water face first.

Witnesses have come forward to give their accounts of what happened on board the 110,000 ton ship, and said she was escorted away by the Carnival Valor security.

Passenger Kim Barnette told WAFB: "Security got her out of the hot tub.

"Whenever they got to take her into custody, apparently she was upset and went over the rail."

She is heard screaming out the name 'Alicia' as staff take her from the pool deck (WVUE)

Fellow holidaymaker Emil Avenarius told Nola.com: "Security tried to calm her down, and she was belligerent toward them.

"They had to restrain her because she was combative. She broke loose and flipped herself over the side."

The Coast Guard, who were assisted by its aircrew, searched about 2,500 square miles for 14 hours for the woman.

They suspended their search at 6pm on Thursday.

The huge ship carries 2,980 guests and 1,180 crew members (Reuters)

"The decision to suspend a search-and-rescue case is never one we come to lightly," Chief Warrant Officer Tricia Eldredge, Command Duty Officer at Sector New Orleans, told Fox 8.

"We offer our deepest sympathies to the family during this difficult time."

Carnival confirmed their care team is providing support to the woman's husband and family.

Around 25 people fall off cruise ships every year on average.

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