A passenger who went missing from a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico was rescued after more than 15 hours in the water, the US Coast Guard said, the BBC reports.

A man was found alive who spent about 15 hours in the water after falling from a cruise ship.Photo: Rapture

The 28-year-old man was at the bar on the Carnival Valor with his sister on Wednesday night but did not return after using the toilet.

Several rescue teams searched the area, and the man was finally found Thursday evening 30 km off the coast of Louisiana.

The U.S. Coast Guard said the man was in the water for more than 15 hours — “the longest we’ve ever heard of — and it’s one of those Thanksgiving miracles.”

It is not known how the man fell into the water from the ship bound for Mexico.