Photo courtesy of WVUE.
A woman jumped from the 10th floor of the Carnival Valor vessel into the Gulf of Mexico on Feb. 16. When the woman jumped, the ship was on its way to New Orleans, La., from Cozumel, Mexico and was 150 miles from Southwest Pass, Louisiana.
The 32-year-old had reportedly been arguing with a man over the hot tub when security got involved and detained her. Another woman was also subdued and can be seen on video footage shouting, “Alicia,” as the woman jumped off the boat.
Other passengers ran to the edge of the boat after the woman jumped, and witnesses reported seeing the woman hit her head on the side of the ship before landing in the water face-first into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. They also told WVUE the woman was handcuffed when she went into the water.
A spokesman from Carnival Cruises claimed the woman was not in handcuffs. The other woman detained on the video was held by security without handcuffs.
The crew threw the woman a life preserver and a flare to mark her location while the Coast Guard was called to help search for the woman. The Coast Guard called off the search at 5:37 p.m.
The detained woman can be heard asking, “Is it real?” as security led her towards the balcony where her friend reportedly jumped.
Chief Warrant Officer Tricia Eldredge is the Command Duty Officer in New Orleans and said the decision to suspend the search was not made lightly.
“The decision to suspend a search-and-rescue case is never one we come to lightly,” she said. “We offer our deepest sympathies to the family during this difficult time.”
The woman’s husband was on the ship and received counseling from Carnival’s CARE team. The Carnival Valor vessel reportedly left Cozumel at 3:27 p.m. on Feb. 15. The ship returned to New Orleans at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 17 after the reported search.
Our prayers go out to the family.