Updated 2:55pm EDT
The US Coast Guard says they received a call from Carnival Fantasy Sunday evening (May 24, 2009) about 10pm reporting a passenger had gone overboard at about 9:45pm.
Carnival advises that the man was witnessed going overboard, and they turned the ship and immediately began a search and rescue operation.
The Coast Guard dispatched an HC-130 Hercules search plane crew and an HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew from Clearwater, and the cutter Nantucket, a 110-foot patrol boat homeported at St. Petersburg, was diverted to the area which is about 150 miles southwest of Tampa.
The missing passenger is reported to be an 18-year-old man from Louisiana. Local media in New Orleans is speculating that he was with a group of high school students that are aboard celebrating their graduation.
The Coast Guard released Carnival Fantasy from the search at 2:50am, and it proceeded to Key West which was about 165 miles away. Carnival Fantasy arrived there at approximately 1pm today (Monday).
Carnival Fantasy left New Orleans on Saturday (May 23) on a 7-day cruise. At the time the man went overboard, the ship was en route from New Orleans to Key West.
The Coast Guard search continued through the night and is continuing on Monday.
Update: May 26, 10:45pm
The Coast Guard suspended their search Monday evening. Details are in the May 26 item.
