MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino crew member of a Hawaii-bound cruise ship is still missing as of Friday after he jumped overboard in the Pacific Ocean.
After jumping from the Grand Princess cruise ship which sailed from San Francisco on Tuesday midnight, the 34-year-old Filipino national was declared missing by the United States Coast Guard.
The search was suspended Wednesday after having "saturated all probable locations" and scouring 4,900 square miles, Coast Guard command duty officer Lt. Justin Gear said.
"Suspending a search is always an incredibly difficult decision to make," Gear told the Hawaii Reporter.
The crew member, whose name has been withheld by American authorities, was reportedly last seen aboard the ship at 10:00 p.m. Monday.
Princess Cruises, owner of the vessel, has confirmed that the crew member deliberately jumped into the water as captured by footages of the ship's security cameras.
"The report indicated that crew member had been missing ... and this occurred approximately 1,000 miles northeast of Oahu, Hawaii," Coast Guard spokesman Gene Myastas told KCBS News based in San Francisco last Tuesday.
The Coast Guard immediately sent HC-130 Hercules airplane crew while the cruise ship belonging to line changed course to search for the Filipino. The company also ordered a sister ship to aid in the rescue operation.
The ship, supposed to carry passengers for a 15-day cruise in the Pacific on a San Francisco-Hawaii-San Francisco route scheduled to arrive on January 19, has somewhat been delayed by the incident.