British woman rescued 10 hours after falling into sea from cruise ship off coast of Croatia
"I am very lucky to be alive," the woman later told reporters
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Your support makes all the difference.Croatia‘s coast guard has rescued a British woman 10 hours after she fell from a cruise ship into the Adriatic Sea at night.
The passenger plunged from the Norwegian Star cruise ship about 60 miles (95km) off Croatia‘s coast shortly before midnight on Saturday.
A rescue ship was scrambled and found her on Sunday morning swimming close to where she was believed to have fallen.
She was taken to a hospital in the town of Pula and was said to be exhausted but not seriously hurt.
The rescued woman, who identified herself as Kay, 46, told reporters she felt "very lucky to be alive".
"I fell off the back of the Norwegian Star and I was in the water for ten hours so these wonderful guys rescued me," she said during an interview with the Croatian news channel HRT.
Lovro Oreskovic, captain of the rescue ship, said his crew “were extremely happy for saving a human life.”
The circumstances of the incident are being investigated and the British Embassy in Croatia has been informed.
The Norwegian Star was due to dock at Venice on Sunday after leaving Dubrovnik following a tour of Greek islands.
A spokeswoman for Norwegian Cruise Line, which owns the ship, said: “A report was made that a guest aboard Norwegian Star had gone overboard while the ship was returning to Venice.
"As soon as the report was made the ship began a search and notified the appropriate authorities.
"We are pleased to advise that the guest was found alive, is currently in stable condition, and has been taken ashore in Croatia for further treatment.
"We are very happy that the individual, who is a UK resident, is now safe and will soon be reunited with friends and family.
“The ship will be delayed on her return to Venice.”
Last month a crew member on another of the company's cruise liners was found alive in the sea 22 hours after plunging from the deck.
The 33-year-old worker on Norwegian Getaway was rescued after being spotted by a cabin steward on another ship miles away from where he fell in the Gulf of Mexico, north-west of Cuba.
The Filipino crew member was feared dead and the US coast guard had called off its search after spending hours scouring more than 1,600 square miles without sight of him.
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