The man went overboard after climbing over a deck rail of the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship. Photo / Supplied
An autistic man missing at sea since Sunday, when he disappeared from a Carnival Cruise Line ship traveling from Alabama to the western Caribbean, went overboard after climbing over a deck rail, the company said Wednesday.
The family says he is presumed dead.
Relatives of the 22-year-old Johns Creek, Georgia,
man believed "he may have been under the mistaken assumption that he was going swimming," the Miami-based company said in a release.
The cruise line also provided a statement from the family of Luke Renner that said relatives were devastated by his death but do not blame a group that organised the trip for people with special needs, Wishes4Me.
"He loved the Wishes4Me special needs community where he lived, and we were delighted when they planned this special event. He loved cruises," said the statement, sent by a public relations firm.
