Coast Guard searching for cruise ship worker who went overboard

British man worked as performer aboard Harmony of the Seas

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a cruise ship employee who went overboard Tuesday from the Fort Lauderdale-based Harmony of the Seas off the coast of Puerto Rico.

A spokesperson for the Coast Guard said Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas reported Arron Hough, 20, of the United Kingdom, missing on Christmas Day after he failed to show up for work. The crew of the cruise ship believes he went overboard about 260 miles northwest of Aquadilla, Puerto Rico.

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"We are saddened to report that after a review of the ship’s closed-circuit camera footage, he was observed entering an area on Deck 5 at around 4 a.m. and was not seen again," a spokesman for Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

The crew conducted a ship-wide search but did not find Hough, the spokesman said.

According to Hough's Twitter account, he works as a performer in the ship's production of "Grease."

An HC-130 Hercules airplane and the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Resolute were assigned to the search.

The Harmony of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, left Port Everglades on Sunday.

"Our Care Team is providing support to the family and friends of our colleague, and our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time," a spokesman for the cruise line said.