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UPDATED: Search Ends for Woman Missing from Cruise Ship in Glacier Bay National Park

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Published Date

August 4, 2009
Cruise ship in Glacier Bay.

Cruise ship in Glacier Bay. Photo by Jim Burnett.

A search for a woman who was reported missing from a cruise ship in Glacier Bay National Park on Monday morning has ended. Searchers have recovered a body believed to be that of the missing woman, many miles away from the park.

The 45-year-old woman was a passenger on the Holland America ship Zaandam. She was reported missing by a friend at 10 a.m. on Monday while the ship was in Glacier Bay. She was believed to have fallen overboard, but the time or location of the incident was not known.

The ship departed Juneau late Sunday night, and according to members of the ship's crew, the woman ordered room service around midnight, when the ship was near Douglas Island.

Park personnel launched a search of park waters and the shoreline, and the Coast Guard began a massive search of Stephens Passage, Lynn Canal and Icy Strait. The trip from Juneau to Glacier Bay covers a distance of about 75 miles.

The crew of a commercial helicopter helping in the search found the body late Monday afternoon on the west side of Douglas Island. A Coast Guard spokesman stated that's about 12 miles northwest of the point where the passenger was last seen. Positive identification of the body is pending.

There was no immediate sign of foul play, and little is currently known about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance. Alaska State Troopers are continuing their investigation.

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Comments

Submitted by admin on August 4, 2009 - 5:34am.

I don't see any way a person can just fall overboard. I have been on 8 cruises and 4 different cruise lines. The rails are between waist and chest high. [This comment has been edited.]


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