SYDNEY, May 10 (UPI) -- Rescuers called off the search Friday for two people missing after they fell overboard from a cruise ship near the Australian coast.
Paul Rossington, 30, and his girlfriend, Kristen Schroder, 27, both of Barraba, were presumed dead after more than 48 hours in the water between Sydney Harbor and Newcastle, The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph reported Friday.
Police and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority searched a 575-mile area of the ocean along with a Westpac Rescue Helicopter, which used thermal imaging to check the area, the newspaper said.
CCTV footage on the Carnival Cruise Lines ship Carnival Spirit showed Schroder appeared to fall from mid-deck of the ship, followed shortly by Rossington, a paramedic at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Police said they are investigating the possibility Rossington was trying to rescue the woman.
Investigators are trying to determine how Schroder went overboard in the first place, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Carnival Australia Chief Executive Officer Ann Sherry said it was unlikely the fall was an accident.
"We want to make sure that it's not possible for people to fall overboard or to trip and fall overboard. So I think it would be highly unlikely, but again, in this case the police are conducting a full investigation,'' she said.
