Crew Member Goes Overboard From Cruise Ship

Rescuers are searching for a person who went overboard during a Viking cruise in the Mediterranean this week, reports USA Today. One unusual facet: It's a crew member, not a passenger, who is missing. It happened about 11:30am Monday when the Viking Star was roughly 100 nautical miles southeast of Italy's Calabria coast, traveling between the Greek island of Crete and Sicily.

The unidentified crew member "was observed going overboard," and the ship's emergency protocols were activated, per the New York Times. The vessel circled back and searched with the Italian coast guard before resuming its voyage on Monday night. Viking has not identified the crew member. From 2009 to 2019, there were 212 reported cases worldwide of passengers or crew going overboard from cruise ships, with only 48 survivors, according to data reviewed by USA Today. Industry officials say such incidents are rarely accidental, noting that cruise ship railings are deliberately built high.