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A passenger went overboard from the Carnival Valor around 150 miles from southern Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico this afternoon around 2:30 p.m. as the Carnival cruise ship was returning to New Orleans.

A number of passengers reported the incident via Twitter today. The accounts initially range from involving either a man or a woman, with several people stating that the person jumped from the ship.

A newspaper in New Orleans reports that the Coast Guard’s 8th District and Coast Guard Sector New Orleans were notified that a passenger went overboard at 2:28 p.m., according to U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Gabriel Wisdom. The paper identified the person was a 32 year old woman but did not release her name.

The newspaper stated that a HC-144 aircrew was dispatched to assist the rescue efforts.

The New York Post reports that “the Carnival Valor vessel was en route to New Orleans from Cozumel, Mexico when a woman jumped into the water from her balcony, Carnival said in a statement.”

Cruise expert Dr. Ross Klein reports that there have been 364 people who have gone overboard from ships in the last twenty years. This is the first reported person from a cruise ship this year.

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February 17, 2022 A.M. Update:

Newsweek reports that:

“The U.S. Coast Guard said it had received a call on Wednesday afternoon saying that a 32-year-old African American woman had fallen overboard from the Carnival Valor cruise ship about 150 miles offshore of Southwest Pass, Louisiana. The details of how the woman ended up going overboard weren’t released.

But passengers said there had been a disturbance that prompted security on the ship to detain the woman in handcuffs, according to WVUE. The woman then jumped off the 10th deck of the ship, passengers said, adding that she hit the side of the vessel before reaching the water.

WVUE-TV reports that:

“The Coast Guard has not said how the woman ended up in the water, but passengers say there was a disturbance that caused security to detain her with handcuffs. Passengers say she then jumped off . . . and hit the side of the ship before hitting the water.

They say she soon disappeared as crew tossed life preservers and a flare marking her position.”

WVUE also stated that a Coast Guard Air Station in Clearwater, Florida dispatched a  MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter.

There are substantial questions why Carnival’s security personnel apparently handcuffed the guest and then permitted a handcuffed person in Carnival’s custody go overboard?

FOX8 news station published Cell phone video shows moments before and after woman jumped from cruise ship where you can see video of the ship security taking control of the guest and then video after she went overboard.

Photo credit: Top – Johnnytrupp/Twitter via New York Postf