A cruise ship passenger is missing after falling overboard off the coast of Tenerife on Thursday.

A search is ongoing to locate the man, a 76-year-old British national who was traveling on the Marella Explorer 2, which is operated by TUI, according to the Spanish coast guard .

Marella Cruises confirmed to Newsweek in an emailed statement that a guest was "seen entering the water" as the ship traveled toward La Gomera, one of Spain ’s Canary Islands.

Why It Matters

The disappearance has sparked a major search effort. The man has now been missing for more than 24 hours, making the efforts to find him increasingly urgent.

What To Know

The Spanish coast guard, Salvamento Marítimo, said that it received an alert about a cruise passenger overboard at 9:48 a.m. local time on Thursda

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