EMILY SHAPIRO
Updated 13 mins ago
The Coast Guard is searching for a 32-year-old woman who reportedly fell overboard from a cruise ship near the Bahamas.
Around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, crew members on board the Carnival Ecstasy said a woman "was reportedly seen falling overboard," according to the Coast Guard. A Carnival spokesperson said the ship guest "was witnessed jumping overboard."
The woman has been identified as 32-year-old Rina Patel. She is a resident of Interlaken, New York, authorities said. She was wearing a white dress with pink floral, according to the Coast Guard.
The ship was about 15 miles off the coast of Grand Bahama island when Patel was reported missing. Coast Guard air and boat crews have launched a search.
The ship was en route from Nassau, Bahamas, to Charleston, South Carolina. The ship is expected to arrive in Charleston, where it is based, on Thursday, according to the Coast Guard and Carnival. It departed from Charleston on Saturday for a five-day cruise.
Around 2:45 a.m. on Wednesday, a call came over the intercom that repeated "Man overboard" four times, passenger Shannon Parks told ABC News via email. When she went up to the 11th deck to see what was happening, spotlights were being shone onto the water, and the cruise ship had stopped, she said. A small rescue boat with a crew of five was lowered into the water, and the crew searched the area for a "long time," she recalled. A helicopter could be heard flying back and forth just before daybreak, and later a U.S. Coast Guard plane was doing the same, she said.
Parks described the crew as "organized" during the search and added that she was "impressed" with the way Carnival handled the situation.
A Carnival spokesperson said in a statement, "The company's CareTeam is providing assistance and support to the missing guest's family on board and our thoughts and prayers are with her and family and loved ones during this difficult time."