Devastated partner of man who fell from cruise ship believes he could still be alive
30.04.2023 - 00:53
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
The girlfriend of a man who fell overboard from a cruise ship has been left devastated after authorities called off their search - despite her belief that he could still be alive.
Warwick Tollemache, from Brisbane, Australia, fell from the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship roughly 870 miles south of Hawaii on Tuesday, April 25.
The US coastguard was immediately called in to help search for the 35-year-old from both sea and air, however efforts were officially suspended just two days later, the Mirror reports.
His partner of six years Celina La Roche, who he was holidaying with at the time, paid tribute to him in a heartbreaking post, writing: "I love you, always have and always will. RIP my love.'
Celina added in an interview: "They should have kept looking – I don't understand why they stopped the search. I'm just devastated.
"We were cruising in the South Pacific last month and I was going to move in with him. I was still hoping until I heard they'd stopped the search and now… he could still be alive in the middle of nowhere."
Celina said she won't have closure until his body is found.
Coastguard crews carried out an in-depth search of the area where Warwick fell in, however the hunt became "almost impossible" after large overnight swells made conditions difficult.
Warwick's family and Australian officials were both consulted before the decision was made to call off the search.
In a statement, his family wrote: "Our family is heartbroken at the loss of our beloved Warwick.
"He was a kind, beautiful, and gentle soul who was adored by everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed.
"We kindly ask for privacy during this difficult time. Thank you for your understanding."
After news broke that the search has been being halted,