PORT CANAVERAL -- Despite a full day of searching, there are no signs of a Carnival Sensation cruise ship employee who fell overboard off the coast of Florida Thursday morning.
It happened just before 1 a.m. about 20 miles off the coast of Vero Beach.
Fellow workers saw the employee go overboard. They threw him a lifeline and notified ship officials, who then call the U.S. Coast Guard.
Despite searching on the water and in the air, there have been no signs of him.
The ship was returning from a cruise to the Bahamas.
Passengers said the tragedy put a somber end to their trip.
"It seem like the whole ship was pretty somber this morning because we didn't have all the information,” said Maureen Fitzpatrick, a passenger on the Sensation.
The ship returned to Port Canaveral later than planned after helping in the search at first.
The FBI is now also involved in the investigation.
All witnesses said it was clearly an accident.
Carnival Cruise Lines released a statement Thursday saying: "Our thoughts and prayers are with this young man at this time as well as with his friends and family."
The employee is the second person in a week to go missing off a Florida-based cruise ship.
Winter Haven resident Jennifer Ellis-Seitz went into the water on Christmas Day while cruising with her husband off the coast of Cancun, Mexico.
Her body has not been found, and all searches for her have ended.
Family members said they think Ellis-Seitz may have jumped to her death.
Her husband is not considered a suspect. So far, surveillance video on the Norwegian Pearl that apparently caught her going overboard has not been released.
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