Brit Man Goes Overboard On Caribbean Cruise

A search is under way for a 30-year-old British man who has been seen going overboard from the world's biggest cruise ship.

The missing passenger was filmed on CCTV going over the balcony railing of his room on the Allure of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean International liner, early on Friday.

The ship was on a seven-night Caribbean voyage at the time after departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on January 29.

Royal Caribbean International said the ship's crew were alerted by another passenger who claimed to see the man going overboard from deck 11.

Footage from a video camera also showed the man falling.

The location of the ship at the time was calculated after viewing the CCTV footage and the Mexican coast guard and navy were sent to the area. They are still searching for the man, who has not been named.

He was on an all-gay cruise chartered by Californian company Atlantis Events.

Royal Caribbean said: "Our care team is providing support to the guest's family and our thoughts and prayers are with them."

It said the ship had now docked late at its final destination, Cozumel in Mexico.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We are aware of the reports and are looking into them."

Royal Caribbean's website describes the 1,187ft-long Allure of the Seas as "quite simply, our largest and most revolutionary ship at sea".

It holds the record for the largest passenger ship ever constructed, at just two inches longer than her sister ship Oasis of the Seas.

With 16 passenger decks it can carry a total of 6,318 passengers and 2,384 crew and offers rock climbing walls as well as an ice-skating rink, basketball court and park with 12,000 live plants.

The ship's maiden voyage was on December 5, 2010.