Search off Newfoundland as pop singer goes missing from AIDAluna

AIDA Cruises confirmed a search operation is underway off the Canadian coast after a passenger went missing from AIDAluna while the ship was en route to Newfoundland Sunday.

The missing man is singer/actor Daniel Kaiser-Küblböck

According to AIDA, a person jumped overboard in the early hours (local time) Sunday. A cabin check verified a male passenger was missing. AIDA confirmed he is Daniel Kaiser-Küblböck, a German pop singer and actor.

The captain and crew of AIDAluna immediately launched rescue procedures in close cooperation with the authorities. AIDAluna turned around and sailed back to the position where Kaiser-Küblböck went overboard.

Search area is 100 nautical miles from St. John's

The site is located approximately 100 nautical miles north of St. John's, Newfoundland. A Canadian Coast Guard spokesperson told German media the search operation initially involved an airplane and a helicopter. Two Coast Guard ships were dispatched, too, and were expected to arrive Sunday afternoon. AIDAluna remains involved in the search.

AIDAluna is on a crossing from Germany to New York.

Kaiser-Küblböck was born in 1985 and achieved short-lived celebrity status in 2002/03 for his participation in the talent show 'Deutschland sucht den Superstar,' a German adaptation of 'Pop Idol.' He was travelling privately aboard AIDAluna.