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.