Authorities urgently search for man missing after falling off cruise ship in Gulf of Mexico

Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on November 15, 2023

(NEW YORK) — Authorities say they are urgently searching the waters of the Gulf of Mexico after a man fell off a cruise ship.

Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a report at approximately 12:40 p.m. on Monday informing them that there was an unaccounted-for passenger from the Carnival Glory cruise ship, which was scheduled to stop at Grand Cayman Island and Cozumel, Mexico, before returning to New Orleans on Sunday, according to the ship’s itinerary.

“The unaccounted-for man has been identified by family members as Tyler Barnett of Houma, Louisiana,” read a statement from the United States Coast Guard released on Tuesday. “Carnival reported he was last seen on security camera at approximately midnight Monday morning.”

The United States Coast Guard District Eight watchstanders immediately launched a Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew and an Air Station Clearwater HC-130 Super Hercules aircrew to conduct searches of “a roughly 200-mile area following the path of the ships voyage,” authorities confirmed.

Watchstanders have also been transmitting urgent marine information broadcasts to mariners to make them aware of the missing man in case he is seen in the water and can be rescued by another vessel.

It is unclear how Barnett went overboard but the United States Coast Guard said that “new security footage discovered by Carnival Glory shows the man falling off the cruise ship” and that officials are combing through the search area located approximately 30 miles southwest of the Southwest Pass, in Louisiana.

The search had to be called off overnight due to “severe weather conditions and safety concerns,” authorities said. However, as of Tuesday morning, an Aviation Training Center Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry had resumed search efforts.

As of Wednesday, search efforts had not turned up any clues to where Barnett might be but the Coast Guard said they will continue searching for the missing passenger as weather conditions permit.