Woman taken to hospital in Pula, Croatia, after being found in sea

A British woman has been rescued after spending 10 hours in the Adriatic Sea at night, having fallen from a cruise ship, according to Croatia’s coastguard.

The 46-year-old, who gave her name as Kay to local media and was later named Kay Longstaff in UK reports, was taken to hospital in Pula, Croatia, and is understood to be out of danger.

It is understood she fell from the Norwegian Star cruise ship about 60 miles (100km) off Croatia’s coast shortly before midnight on Saturday as the vessel was making its way from the port of Vergarola to Venice in Italy.

Kay Longstaff. Photograph: Kay Longstaff/Facebook

The liner raised the alarm and was joined by coastguard and civilian vessels, plus a PC-9 aircraft, at about 6.30am on Sunday. The woman was spotted at 9.40am and reached by a rescue swimmer from a patrol boat minutes later, Croatian media reported, saying she was about 1.3km away from the spot where she fell in.

The rescued passenger told the Croatian news channel HRT: “I am very lucky to be alive. ... I fell off the back of the Norwegian Star and I was in the water for 10 hours, so these wonderful guys rescued me.

“I was sitting at the back of the deck and, yeah ... it was bad,” she said before being taken into an ambulance.

An unnamed rescuer told the Sun: “She said the fact that she practises yoga helped her as she was fit. And she said she was singing to not feel cold in the sea overnight.”

David Radas, a spokesman for the Croatian ministry of maritime affairs, said that by checking CCTV rescuers knew the exact moment Longstaff fell in the water. “Because they knew the time, they were able to know the exact position of the ship,” he told the Sun.

The rescue ship’s captain, Lovro Orešković, said the woman was exhausted, adding: “We were extremely happy for saving a human life.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Longstaff after her rescue. Photograph: MORH/Coast guard

A Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson said: “On the morning of 19 August a guest went overboard as Norwegian Star made her way to Venice. The coastguard was notified and a search and rescue operation ensued.

“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 circumstances of the incident are being investigated and the British embassy in Croatia has been informed.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest British woman being rescued from the sea. Photograph: MORH/Coast guard

It comes weeks after a cruise ship worker fell overboard while travelling on the Norwegian Getaway – also run by Norwegian Cruise Line – in the Gulf of Mexico. The 33-year-old man, believed to be from the Philippines, was rescued 22 hours later after being found 26 miles (42km) outside the coastguard search zone in July.

A search was called off in May after an 80-year-old Australian man fell off the Sun Princess cruise ship while journeying from Indonesia to Malaysia.