Cruise ship passenger lost at sea after plunging overboard

A 23-year-old Florida man is lost at sea after falling from the eighth deck of a massive cruise ship sailing near Cuba.

Brandon Paul, from Floral City, Fla. reportedly went overboard from the Carnival Victory cruise ship around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, 33 miles from the Cuban coast.

The fall triggered a frantic search, which has now lasted more than 24 hours.

Little information is available about the circumstances surrounding the incident. The Carnival Victory is a 13-deck vacation liner, which sails back and forth between Miami and the Bahamas.

The eighth deck, from which Mr Paul fell, is entirely residential, containing around 150 passenger cabins . Most rooms have a balcony.

Cruise staff launched a rescue boat, and also alerted the US Coast Guard, which sent out a search plane and diverted a patrol boat to help.

Cuban rescue services are also assisting with the search.

Officials announced around 4 a.m. on Thursday that they would keep up the search for Mr Paul through the night.

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#SAR mission continues by @USCGSoutheast with Key West based CG Cutter Charles Sexton crew searching for missing cruise ship passenger. pic.twitter.com/BxzSNcmblQ

— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) March 23, 2017