A cruise ship crew member falls overboard -- and is rescued 22 hours later by another cruise ship

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 7/3/2018, 8:09 a.m.
Do you believe in miracles? A crew member for Norwegian Cruise Line probably does after he fell overboard near Cuba, …
Crew members on Carnival Glory who played a role in the rescue at sea on Sunday of a Norwegian Cruise Line crew member. From left to right: Securitay Guard Ramon Morales; Assistant Stateroom Steward Ni Puti Kharisma Dew Wiryanari; Assitance Chief Security Rishu Thapa; Playlist Dancer Karleigh Wright; Assistant Shore Excursion Manager Maja Krstic; Captain Pero Grubješic; Safety Officer Cesare Mattera and Security Guard Irma Caldino Mariscotes.

By Doug Criss, CNN

(CNN) -- Do you believe in miracles? A crew member for Norwegian Cruise Line probably does after he fell overboard near Cuba, then was rescued almost a full day later by another cruise ship.

Witnesses saw the 33-year-old crew member fall off the Norwegian Getaway into the water about 28 miles northwest of Pinar del Rio, Cuba at 3:20 p.m. ET Saturday, the US Coast Guard said in a statement. A Coast Guard airplane, a HC-144 Ocean Sentry, immediately began searching for him.

The next day, a hotel steward aboard the Carnival Glory spotted the man in the water around 1 p.m. ET about 21 miles north of Cuba, Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement. The steward told the Glory's bridge officers, who reduced the ship's speed, reversed course and lowered a lifeboat to save the man.

The Norwegian crew member, whose name has not yet been publicly released, is being treated by the Carnival Glory's medical team and is listed in stable condition.

"This is nothing short of miraculous," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. "Kudos to the Carnival Glory team for this amazing effort to rescue a fellow seafarer."

The Coast Guard said it scoured more than 1,630 square miles of ocean during the search.

We're sure there's a great survival story here and at some point it will come out.

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