A 16-year-old boy has fallen to his death from a luxury cruise ship while trying to climb from an eighth-floor balcony because he didn’t have his room card, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. Laurent Mercer, from the French-speaking Wallis and Futuna islands northeast of Fiji, fell as he was trying to access his family’s stateroom on the Royal Caribbean ship, Harmony of the Seas. At least two fellow passengers watched the boy fall, according to social media messages posted online after the tragedy. At the time, the ship was docked at the port of Labadee in Haiti on January 11 in the midst of a seven-day Caribbean cruise being taken by the boy’s family. Royal Caribbean owns a luxury private resort at the port. Laurent lost his footing while trying to climb from an adjacent balcony and fell onto the concrete pier below, sustaining major head injuries. The ship’s medical team attempted CPR, but the boy was pronounced dead from major head trauma at 11:42am. On a Facebook thread, a poster named Jaclyn Syroney wrote: “I was on the cruise and saw him hit the concrete dock. “It was around 11:30am. The workers were amazingly fast acting and tried to keep him alive, but I’m pretty sure he was dead on impact. “There were also fast acting of removing his body and covering up the area so people wouldn’t see it. “Royal Caribbean handled this situation with utmost respect for the passenger and the family.” According to Royal Caribbean’s website, Harmony of the Seas is one of the largest ships in the world, with a capacity of 5,479 guests and 2,193 crew members.<doc-sep>Do you know 20-year-old Arron Hough? If so, email mark.duell@mailonline.co.uk or tips@dailymail.com Advertisement A British cruise ship worker who fell overboard from a cruise ship on Christmas Day posted a cryptic message on Twitter just days before the incident took place, it has emerged. Arron Hough, 20, believed to be from Sunderland, fell from a Royal Caribbean vessel on Tuesday having last been seen on deck at around 4am. Just days before, on Friday, he tweeted: 'Beneath the water is beauty. Always look beneath the surface before you decide on things.' The US coastguard is currently searching for the Briton - who is said to have been part of the entertainment team on the Harmony of the Seas vessel. He fell off the ship 267 miles northwest of Aguadilla in Puerto Rico. The US coastguard is currently searching for 20-year-old Arron Hough (right) - who is believed to have been part of the entertainment team on the Royal Caribbean vessel It is believed Mr Hough was performing in a production of Grease (pictured) as part of the entertainments team for the vessel. His Facebook profile lists his profession as Dancer/Vocalist at Royal Caribbean Productions Harmony of the Seas (pictured on its voyage) is currently sailing on a 7-night itinerary that departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday Mr Hough's tweeted just days before he went missing, saying: 'Beneath the water is beauty. Always look beneath the surface before you decide on things' The cruise firm confirmed today that he went missing overboard on Tuesday and had been working on the Oasis-class cruise ship. He has not been seen since entering a deck area of the ship at around 4am - and despite a thorough search of the vessel has not been found. Harmony of the Seas is currently sailing on a seven-night itinerary that departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday, December 23. It has port calls to Philipsburg, St. Maarten; San Juan, Puerto Rico and Labadee, Haiti. In the days leading up to his disappearance, Mr Hough can be seen tweeting about life on the ship - and even shared footage of his production of Grease. And in his penultimate tweet posted a cryptic message which read: 'Beneath the water is beauty. Always look beneath the surface before you decide on things.' Harmony of the Seas is currently sailing on a 7-night itinerary that departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday. It has port calls to Philipsburg, St. Maarten; San Juan, Puerto Rico and Labadee, Haiti In July, talent agency Russell Smith Associates tweeted that Mr Hough (pictured right) would be joining the cast of Grease The Musical on Harmony of the Seas. He went missing on Christmas Day and has not been seen since Arron Hough (left and right), 20, is believed to have fallen overboard from the Royal Caribbean vessel Harmony of the Seas while around 300 miles from Puerto Rico. The Foreign Office has confirmed it is 'providing assistance to the family of a British man who has been reported missing of Fort Lauderdale' A friend of Mr Hough, who contacted MailOnline but asked to remain anonymous, said she was 'heartbroken beyond words' at the news. She said: 'Arron is the type of person people can only wish to have in their lives. He lights up any room like no one else can and everyone who knows and loves him has so many happy and cherished memories. 'His infectious laugh and beaming smile is enough to pull anyone out from feeling down in the dumps. He's helped me through some of the hardest times in my life and for that I'm eternally grateful. 'I hope and pray we get our Arron back home where he belongs, the light of our lives has gone out.' Mr Hough has previously studied at the Urdang Academy in London, which provides specialist vocational training in dance and musical theatre. The academy are 'praying' for Mr Hough and his family, according to a message posted on Twitter. It added: 'Please keep up your hope and faith that he is found safe and sound as soon as possible.' Mr Hough is believed to have been part of a Grease production (pictured) being held on the ship for the duration of the voyage Mr Hough (pictured) is believed to have been working on the Harmony of the Seas cruise ship, which was on a seven-day excursion taking in locations including Philipsburg, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Labadee, Haiti A spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean confirmed to MailOnline that a member of the entertainment team onboard the ship did not report for work on December 25 In July, talent agency Russell Smith Associates tweeted that Mr Hough would be joining the cast of Grease The Musical on Harmony of the Seas. The agency said he was a new graduate of the Urdang Academy, a dance and musical theatre college in London. On Wednesday night, the college tweeted that they were praying for Mr Hough and his family. His mother, Tracey Steel, said on social media that she was 'so proud I could burst' when she found out the news her son had got the job on the cruise liner. And she posted a message on his Facebook last week saying: 'If my love for you was stars it would light up the universe.' On December 21 she posted one final message which read: 'Love you son.' Royal Caribbean International confirmed that a member of the entertainment team onboard the ship did not report for work on December 25. A spokeswoman said: 'On Monday, December 25, a member of the entertainment team onboard Harmony of the Seas en route to Philipsburg, St. Maarten, did not report to work as scheduled. 'We are saddened to report that after a review of the ship's closed-circuit camera footage, he was observed entering an area on Deck 5 at around 4am and was not seen again. 'Local authorities were notified and a ship-wide search for the crew member was conducted.' In the days leading up to his disappearance, Mr Hough (pictured left and right) can be seen tweeting about life on the ship - and even shared footage of his production of Grease Mr Hough (left) is seen larking about with friends in a picture posted to his Facebook profile in mid-November. The youngster went missing while working on the Harmony of the Seas cruise ship The crew member is believed to have been working on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Harmony of the Seas (pictured) before falling overboard Mr Hough tweeted in mid-November that he was joining the staff of Harmony of the Seas. He is part of the entertainments team and had been performing in a production of Grease for the cruise guests The spokesman said that its care team is now providing support to the family and friends of the staff member. She continued: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.' While The Foreign Office confirmed to MailOnline that it was aware of the missing man. A spokesman said: 'We are providing assistance to the family of a British man who has been reported missing of Fort Lauderdale.' A HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Clearwater and the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute are searching for Hough. The cruise ship was off Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The ship sails from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. Mr Hough is from Sunderland and attended the London-based drama school Urdang Academy, according to his Facebook page. The academy are 'praying' for Mr Hough and his family, according to a message posted on Twitter. It added: 'Please keep up your hope and faith that he is found safe and sound as soon as possible' In July, talent agency Russell Smith Associates tweeted that Mr Hough would be joining the cast of Grease The Musical on Harmony of the Seas. The London-based agency said: 'Our thoughts are with all of his friends and family and we hope for him to be found very soon' Mr Hough is not the only crewmember this year to fall from a cruise ship, with Jack Daniel Ackroyd falling from the Adventure of the Seas last month during its journey to Cozumel, Mexico. Staff on the ship did not realise the 27-year-old, from Nottingham, was missing until he did not report for duty after the vessel had docked. The Royal Caribbean website says the Harmony of the Seas won the title of largest cruise ship in the world in 2016. The ship cost $1billion (£695 million), can carry 6,780 guests and 2,100 crew, and took more than two-and-a-half years to construct. The website says it is the first ship to feature the Broadway hit musical Grease as part of its entertainment programme.<doc-sep>
A British crewman of a cruise ship is missing after falling overboard on Christmas Day. Arron Hough, 20, is said to have fallen off the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, on Tuesday night off the coast of Puerto Rico. The US Coast Guard station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was notified that Hough went overboard in the Atlantic Ocean about 267 miles northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, officials said. According to his Twitter account, Hough was a performer in the musical “Grease” aboard the ship. He is thought to be originally from Sunderland. Royal Caribbean International said a member of the entertainment team onboard the ship did not report to work as scheduled on Christmas Day. It added in a statement to Sky News: "We are saddened to report that after a review of the ship's closed-circuit camera footage, he was observed entering an area on Deck 5 at around 4am and was not seen again. (Image: Facebook) (Image: Â© 2016 Michel Verdure www.verdurephoto.com) "Local authorities were notified and a ship-wide search for the crew member was conducted." They added: "Our Care Team is providing support to the family and friends of our colleague, and our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time." Deck 5 features the Royal Theater, several bars and the main dining area. (Image: Google Maps) Harmony of the Seas is currently sailing on a 7-night itinerary that left Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday. Its scheduled stops are Philipsburg, St. Maarten; San Juan, Puerto Rico and Labadee, Haiti. (Image: Facebook) A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We are providing assistance to the family of British man who has been reported missing off Fort Lauderdale." A HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Clearwater and the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute are searching for him. The Harmony of the Seas continued on its regularly scheduled itinerary, arriving in St. Maarten Wednesday. Hough is the fifth person to go overboard on a cruise ship since late November, reports the Miami Herald.