Cruise Ship Worker Missing After Falling Overboard Near Cape Cod

Tragedy struck a Norwegian cruise ship early Sunday morning when a crew fell overboard roughly 12 miles off the coast of the Cape Cod town of Wellfleet.

The Norwegian Breakaway, which holds around 4,000 passengers, was on its way back to Boston at the conclusion of a 7-day round trip journey to Bermuda when the man fell into the waters, leading to a ship-wide man overboard announcement, per CBS News Boston.

Search begins, but later suspended

Security cameras captured images of the worker going overboard, and lifeboats were immediately launched following the announcement. Multiple Coast Guard teams, including a search helicopter, arrived at around 1:15 a.m. ET to assist in the search.

However, the search was suspended just after noon on Sunday “pending new information,” according to the Coast Guard.

Passengers receive letter explaining situation

The Norwegian Breakaway returned to Boston's Black Falcon Terminal Sunday just before noon.

Passengers received a letter updating them on the situation and explaining that embarkation would take place later than expected due to the delay.

"Overnight and into the early morning hours, the ship remained engaged in search and rescue efforts following a man overboard situation, working closely with maritime authorities," the letter read. "These efforts required the vessel's full attention before the voyage could safely resume toward Boston. Situations such as these are never easy, and the safety and well-being of those at sea remain at the heart of every decision we make."

As of Monday morning, the name of the missing crew member has not been released.

"It's very heartbreaking. [Sunday] morning they ended up saying that someone went over, a crew went over the ledge," passenger Rebecca Durandisse told CBS News Boston. "I was in my estate room, lying in bed. I was drifting off to sleep when I noticed a light go on that woke me up, because I had my window open. And then I heard some loud noises."