Missing Sailor Prompts Navy Search-and-Rescue Operation Off North Carolina Coast

A major search-and-rescue operation is underway off the coast of North Carolina after a Navy sailor went missing from an aircraft carrier on Saturday afternoon.

The missing person is a female third-class petty officer, and though her next-of-kin has been notified, her identity has not yet been revealed publicly, the Navy Times reports. The woman was discovered to be missing from the USS Carter Hall around 4:20 p.m. on Saturday, and is presumed to have fallen overboard. A pair of boots and a note were reportedly found on the deck.

Several other ships and aircraft are involved in the search over a 4,500-square-mile-area, the Navy says.

[Navy Times]