Ship was sailing into Southampton
TEAM HERALD
CANACONA: A young seaman from Ponsulem-Canacona has been feared missing after he reportedly fell off a cruise ship in the wee hours of Tuesday.
While details of the incident were sketchy and limited, unconfirmed reports stated that the ship crew was reportedly alerted that Elroy Fernandes (33) was missing from the MSC Opera cruise ship. The company claims that the CCTV, which was checked at 6.30 am (GMT), allegedly showed Fernandes falling off the ship around 1.30 am (GMT), according to the The Isle of Wight Radio.
The international media has reported that Fernandes fell overboard when the cruise ship was south of the Isle of Wight. The cruise ship was sailing into Southampton early Tuesday morning.
A Coast Guard helicopter and lifeboat carried out an unsuccessful search, the reports added.
When contacted, a relative of the family told Herald that the company had notified the family that Elroy had gone missing from the cruise ship. “The message sent to the family stated that ‘Elroy was reported missing on MSC Opera on September 24 at 5.20 am, local time of UK Southampton area,” said the relative.
According to the relative, Fernandes had joined the ship barely one-and-half months ago.
Sources said reports that Elroy had gone missing were being circulated on the internet since early Wednesday morning, but there was no official intimation from the company. “As a result, people from the area were reluctant to visit the house and meet the family, until the company sent a message to the family,” added the source.
