Passengers on a cruise ship clapped as three fishermen were rescued from a life raft drifting off England’s east coast, while the coastguard searches for two more.



The Pacific Princess turned around to rescue the men, whose boat had sunk about 25 miles off Great Yarmouth four hours earlier.

Teena Dowd, a passenger on the Pacific Princess, said that at about 18.30 the captain announced there was a life raft on the ship’s starboard side and that within the hour, the three men had been helped on to the boat.

Dowd, who is travelling with her daughter, said concerned passengers lined the deck and clapped as the shaken men were helped out of their lifeboat.

The Canadian, who lives near Toronto, said: “We were on the very top deck, and people were just sort of holding their breath, everybody was anxious. Everybody clapped when they came on the ship.”

She said: “Originally they didn’t think we were going to be able to rescue them, the captain announced we were just going to float next to them so they were blocked from the wind until the coastguard got here, but then they were able to get close enough that they were able to climb up our ship.”

The ship stayed in the area for an hour before being released by the coastguard and continuing to Dover.

The coastguard said a search and rescue helicopter from Humberside, RNLI lifeboats from Gorleston, an independent lifeboat from Caister and other vessels were helping with the search effort.

Lee Duncan, coastguard operations controller for the east coast, said: “The crew of the sunken fishing vessel are all foreign nationals. We know that the three recovered men had been in the life raft for four hours before they were spotted by the cruise ship.

“We believe the two missing crew were seen to enter the water.”