Coast Guard searching for Carnival cruise passenger who went overboard near Cuba

A passenger fell from the Carnival Victory ship Wednesday, igniting a search by the U.S. Coast Guard and Cuban authorities.

As Carnival Victory headed from Key West to Cozumel, Mexico around 3 a.m., 23-year-old Brandon Paul of Floral City went overboard from the ship’s eighth deck 33 miles northwest of Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.

The cruise ship is searching on the scene along with the Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton and Air Station Miami’s HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane. Because the search area is so close to Cuban waters, Cuban search teams have joined the effort.

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 10:17 AM with the headline "Coast Guard searching for Carnival cruise passenger who went overboard near Cuba."