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911 ReportHawaii News

Cruise ship passenger falls overboard

Hawaii island police said they have launched a missing person investigation after a 59-year-old man fell overboard while on a cruise ship at sea early Friday morning.

Video surveillance footage taken aboard the ship showed a person believed to be Kenneth Schwalbe of California falling from the ship, according to a press release.

The Coast Guard was notified and a search initiated.

Based on the time of the video footage at 4:18 a.m. combined with the ship’s coordinates, it was determined by the ship’s captain that the vessel was approximately 8 miles offshore Hilo when the incident occurred.

Police said a report was received at 8:40 a.m. Friday that Schwalbe was last seen on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.

The ship was slated to dock in Hilo, where police responded at the Hilo port.

Detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigation Section will be continuing this investigation and asks anyone with information on this incident to contact the police department’s non-emergency line at 808-935-3311.

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