VERO BEACH, Fla., Jan. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard says search efforts taking place Friday in Vero Beach, Fla., have found no trace of a cruise line worker who went overboard this week.
Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer James Harless said weather and water conditions during Thursday's accident were not promising for the unidentified 26-year-old Carnival Cruise Lines employee's survival, the South Florida Sun-Sentinels reported.
"It is not a favorable situation for his survival," Harless said, referring to the 25 mph winds and up to 8-foot-tall waves occurring Thursday.
Harless also said the fact that the worker was not wearing a life vest when he fell nearly 82 feet was not a favorable detail.
"It is a high distance. He fell into 7-foot seas without a life jacket at night," Harless said. "There were winds and strong current he was battling with along with the high seas."
The Sun-Sentinel said two airplanes, two helicopters and four boats have been used to search for the worker, whose Carnival Sensation ship had just returned from a Bahamas cruise.
