The Spanish Coastguard said there is no evidence pointing to a ‘violent death’ at this stage
THE SEARCH for a missing British pensioner who fell from a cruise ship near Tenerife has come to an end.
The Spanish Coastguard announced today that search and rescue efforts to find the 76-year-old man have been suspended.
Helicopters and search and rescue boats were part of a massive operation to find the holidaymaker, but today the operation has been “scaled down”.
The Spanish Coastguard spokesman said: “There’s no specific mobilisation of resources today as part of what we would call an intensive search.”
Alerts have been given to boats in the area, which will continue to be “on the lookout”, the spokesman said.
“But the active search involving the resources that were put in place on Thursday and Friday has been scaled down”, he added.
The 76-year-old man went overboard from the Marella Explorer 2 just before 10am on Thursday 28 November.
The cruise liner was 16.5 miles north-west of Punta de Teno, Tenerife at the time.
It was headed towards La Gomera before the man fell from the ship.
Authorities had been scouring the waters north of Tenerife after the Tui cruise ship issued a “Man Overboard” alert.
The Civil Guard also confirmed today that they were not investigating the incident as a crime.
They said: “The investigation is continuing its course but there’s nothing at this stage pointing to this being a violent death or anyone else intervening in what happened.”
A Marella cruises spokesperson said they were “deeply saddened” by the incident.
Marella cruises are run by British travel company Tui.
They said: “Our thoughts are with the individual and their loved ones during this difficult time.”
“Our dedicated care team is supporting the family, providing assistance and comfort.
“We are working closely with local authorities and will continue to offer every possible support.”
The Malta-flagged cruise liner has ten bars and ten restaurants as well as an open air cinema and Broadway-style theatre.
It left had left Tenerife on November 21 for a seven-day tour with stops planned in Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Madeira and La Gomera.
