Crew Member Missing After Going Overboard Off Coast of Italy During “Viking Star” Cruise

A crew member on board the Viking Star cruise ship was seen going overboard on Monday while the ship was sailing from Greece to Italy.

In a statement shared with USA Today, a representative from Viking Cruises confirmed the incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 27. “The ship’s emergency response was immediately activated and an extensive search operation was launched, in coordination with the Italian Coast Guard,” the company wrote. 

The coast guard told the outlet it received a report “of a crew member falling overboard” while the boat was about 100 nautical miles southeast of the Calabria coast in Southern Italy. 

On Facebook, passengers posted updates regarding the search. One wrote the ship “stopped for over four hours.” Another shared a video of aerial efforts to find the crew member. 

According to CruiseMapper, the ship is on a seven-day sailing in the Mediterranean. The Star first departed Athens, Greece on Oct. 23 and is expected to arrive in Rome, Italy, on Oct. 30. 

Viking confirmed to USA Today that crews were cleared to continue its voyage on Monday evening. 

“We are deeply saddened by what has occurred,” the company said. “Our thoughts are with the family of our crew member, and we will continue to support them during this difficult time.”

Neither a representative from Viking Cruises nor the Italian Coast Guard immediately responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment. 

According to a 2020 report from the Cruise Line International Association, the industry’s leading trade group, between 2009 and 2019, there were 212 man overboard incidents across member cruise lines. Of those incidents, only 48 had successful rescues. 

Just last week, a cruise passenger on board the Norwegian Jewel went overboard on Monday, Oct. 20 while the cruise was sailing from Ponta Delgada, Portugal to Miami. 

“The appropriate authorities were immediately notified and an extensive search and rescue operation with multiple vessels was conducted,” a representative for the company shared in a statement with PEOPLE. “The search was unfortunately unsuccessful, and the ship was released by authorities to continue its voyage.” 

They added: “Our team is attending to the guest’s loved ones during this very difficult time, and our thoughts and prayers are with them.”

The company did not include any further details about the passenger. 

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In a Oct. 21 TikTok, one person claiming to be on the same ship said passengers were alerted to a man overboard around 2 a.m.

On the Norwegian Cruise Line forum on Reddit, one user wrote crews had “sealed off the outside walking deck to keep passengers from interfering with the crew during the search operations.”

“The announcement went out before 3 a.m. ship’s time and five hours later the ship continues to retrace its path performing search operations,” the Oct. 21 post said.