Air search for missing cruise passenger to resume

[May 04, 2011]  SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The U.S. Coast Guard planned to resume an aerial search Wednesday for a woman who went missing from a cruise ship somewhere between San Diego and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The 65-year-old woman, whose name was not released, did not show up for a customs check when the Celebrity Millennium docked in San Diego around 1 p.m. Tuesday, Coast Guard Petty Officer Henry Dunphy said.

San Diego was the first U.S. port of call after the ship stopped in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The cruise began in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and is destined for Vancouver, British Columbia.

"She was back on the boat after Cabo and was seen aboard the ship while in transit, and then she came up missing in San Diego," Dunphy said.

He said it was possible the woman went overboard, so crews were searching an area that spans 175 miles between the cities.

A helicopter from San Diego and an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Sacramento started looking for the woman Tuesday, but the search was suspended after sunset.

Dunphy said the aerial search would start again at first light Wednesday. Meanwhile, a patrol boat was tracing the cruise ship's route.

FBI spokesman Darrell Foxworth said agents were also investigating.

A call to a spokeswoman for Miami-based Celebrity Cruises after business hours Tuesday was not immediately returned.

[Associated Press]

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