On Thursday afternoon, April 22, the Coast Guard suspended its search for a missing crew who went overboard the RCI-Royal Caribbean cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas off the coast of Cyprus.
According to the Larnaca-based search and rescue coordination centre, the search operations to locate the crew reported missing since Tuesday, April 20, had been called off without locating the person.
On Wednesday, April 21, the ship's Captain announced via the PA system that a male crew member had committed suicide. The accident happened while the vessel was en route from Limassol Cyprus to Haifa Israel (Odyssey of the Seas' homeport for the summer cruise season).
The employee’s name and job title have not been disclosed. Reportedly, he was from India and ended his life by jumping overboard during the night of April 20. According to the Captain, the man had last been seen when Odyssey of the Seas had been ~37 km (23 mi) south of Cape Gata, southern Cyprus.
The search and rescue operation was conducted by JRCC Larnaca (Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Center/independent agency of Cyprus' Ministry of Defence). JRCC Larnaca was first notified around noon on April 21.
Unsuccessful in finding the body, the rescue operation was terminated in the afternoon on April 22.
The extensive search covered a 500 nm2 (~1700 km2 / ~660 mi2) area and was assisted by navy and rescue aircraft (helicopters and planes) with medical teams onboard.
For more Odyssey of the Seas accidents and incidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.