Search for missing British woman who 'fell off cruise ship' in middle of Atlantic called off

The search for a 72-year-old British woman who went missing after she fell overboard in the middle of the Atlantic has been called off.

She was last seen on the Marella Voyager late on Monday afternoon as the ocean liner sailed from Malaga to the Caribbean.

Staff became aware the pensioner was missing after a cabin steward noticed the pensioner's bed had not been slept in the night before.

Cruise passengers were ordered to abandon drinks, dinners, and evening entertainment as the ship's crew took a headcount, the Daily Mail first reported.

Operator Tui said security teams are reviewing CCTV footage in hopes of finding the woman

The cruise has already sailed around 550 miles from where the pensioner might be.

The US Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Centre in Norfolk, Virginia urged vessels to "keep a sharp look out" for the woman, but none were in the area. It called off the search at 8.50pm on Wednesday.

It told the BBC search efforts had been stopped "after considering the extensive search area, the elapsed time between the presumed incident and notification, the lack of available search assets in the remote location, negative results from maritime broadcasts, the sea state, and the low likelihood of survival".

The Marella Voyager had been struck with a powerful storm that left some passengers seasick.

But Tui denies that the inclement weather had anything to do with the missing woman.

It told the Mail: "A guest has gone missing on board the ship, but nothing suggests weather played a part in the guest's disappearance.

"The cabin steward raised an alarm after noticing the guest's bed hadn't been slept in.

"A full search of the ship then took place, and it was reported to the authorities."

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• National Gallery outlines woke overhaul to attract more 'diverse visitors' at London museum
• Ban on living on Chagos Islands is LAWFUL, court rules months after nine landed on outer islets
• Iran threatens to attack European air bases if Donald Trump restarts the war

Crew called for a female passenger to report to reception at 7.30pm on Tuesday. This order was repeated ten minutes later.

Guests became alarmed when, an hour-and-a-half later, they were urgently told to rally at one of four muster stations on the cruise.

Crew members reassured panicked guests, saying it was just to "check who's here", and that no one would have to leave the ship.

The missing passenger has not been publicly identified.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting the family of a British National reported missing on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean and we are in touch with the relevant authorities."

A spokesman for Marella Cruises added: "We're deeply saddened to confirm that a guest was reported missing on board Marella Voyager while the ship was crossing the Atlantic.

"As soon as the alarm was raised, the crew carried out a full search of the ship and we contacted the relevant authorities straight away.

"Our thoughts are with the guest's loved ones at this very difficult time.

"We're supporting the authorities with their enquiries, and out of respect for the guest and their family, we won't be commenting further at this stage."