Search suspended for Carnival Panorama passenger
The Coast Guard said Thomas Gigler remained missing after crews searched more than 1,707 square miles off Mexico.
Carnival Cruise Line confirmed that onboard surveillance footage showed a passenger going overboard from Carnival Panorama while the ship was returning from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Long Beach, California.
According to Carnival, the crew began search and investigation procedures after the passenger was reported missing. Crew members reviewed CCTV footage and notified the American and Mexican Coast Guards.
A Coast Guard statement said the missing passenger was Thomas Gigler, 56. The agency said Carnival Panorama was approximately 57 miles from the Mexican coast when the passenger was reported overboard. Coast Guard aircraft searched from above, while a Mexican naval vessel and six Good Samaritan vessels conducted surface searches.
Gigler remained missing after the vessels and aircraft searched for more than 41 hours. The Coast Guard said crews covered over 1,707 square miles without a sighting before the search was suspended pending new information. The agency said the incident remained under investigation. Neither the Coast Guard nor Carnival had publicly explained why Gigler went overboard.