'Miraculous' sea rescue of man who went overboard

A cruise ship crew member who went overboard near Cuba has been found after surviving 22 hours in the ocean.

The US Coast Guard launched a search-and-rescue operation on Saturday when the Norwegian Getaway reported a 33-year-old male crew member had gone overboard.

Planes and a ship scoured more than 4200sqkm in the Gulf of Mexico but the operation was called off by nightfall, with the missing crew member presumed dead, 7News Miami reports.

But on Sunday, another cruise ship – the Carnival Glory – spotted the man in the sea about 45kms north of Cuba.

Mobile phone footage from the liner showed the man being plucked from the sea to the cheers of passengers and crew.

A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line – the owners of Norwegian Getaway – described the man’s survival as “miraculous”.

“This is nothing short of miraculous. Kudos to the Carnival Glory team for this amazing effort to rescue a fellow seafarer,” the spokesperson said.

The crew member is in a stable condition and being treated aboard the cruise ship.

With AP