A CREW member on board the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship was feared drowned yesterday after falling overboard.

Colleagues on the Cunard flagship spent five hours looking for 26-year-old chef Favio Ordenes as the vessel made its way from Southampton to Halifax, Canada.

But a spokeswoman for operator Cunard said the search had now been called off.

She said: “A search was carried out for a missing crew member on Queen Mary 2. It has been clearly established that the crew member went overboard earlier this morning.

“The ship was off the coast of Newfoundland and, in association with local authorities, it carried out an extensive search of the area in which he went overboard but unfortunately there were no sightings.

“Having discussed this with experts ashore there is no possibility that the crew member could have survived this long in the water and we therefore have to presume that he died in the water.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, who have been informed, as well as friends and his colleagues on board.”