Rebecca Coriam's family to sue Disney for $75,000 Published duration 25 March 2014

image copyright Other image caption The 24-year-old was employed to look after children on the ship

The parents of a British woman who went missing at sea from a Disney cruise ship are suing the company for $75,000 (£45,000).

Crew member Rebecca Coriam, 24, went missing from the Disney Wonder, off the coast of Mexico, three years ago.

Her parents Mike and Ann Coriam from Chester have filed papers against Disney claiming the entertainment giant failed in its duty of care.

A Disney spokeswoman said there was no "merit" in the legal action.

Rebecca, who was a youth worker on the ship, was last seen on 22 March 2011 at 05:45 GMT, when CCTV footage showed her making a phone call to a friend from the staff quarters. The alarm was raised four hours later when she failed to turn up for the start of her shift.

Her family claim Disney Cruise Lines acted negligently in waiting more than four hours to alert the US Coastguard, more than five hours to contact the Mexican navy and nearly seven hours to call the Bahamas police.

image copyright Other

In legal papers filed last week, Mr and Mrs Coriam claimed that Disney gave "false and misleading" information about the ship's position when it alerted the coastguard.

They allege that Disney's security to monitor crew members and passengers was inadequate, as was its surveillance for a person falling overboard.

Mr and Mrs Coriam also claim that the company breached established protocols for a person overboard.

A spokeswoman for Disney Cruise Lines said: "This incident has been investigated by the authorities. The claims are without merit, as we will demonstrate in court."