Woman spends terrifying night at sea after falling overboard from cruise

A British woman has miraculously survived a terrifying night lost in the ocean, treading water for 10 hours after she fell from a cruise ship in the Adriatic Sea.

The woman, identified in media reports as Kay Longstaff, 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 10 hours so these wonderful guys rescued me,” she told local news outlet HRT.

Ms Longstaff is also said to have told one of her rescuers that yoga and singing helped her during her 10-hour ordeal.

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

The 46-year-old was taken to hospital in the town of Pula where she was treated for exhaustion. She miraculously escaped any serious injuries.

Ms Longstaff fell from the cruise ship about 95 kilometres off Croatia’s coast shortly before midnight on Saturday.

A Croatian rescue ship found her swimming on Sunday morning not far from where she was believed to have fallen.

The ship’s captain, Lovro Oreskovic, said that she was exhausted.

“We were extremely happy for saving a human life,” he said.

The circumstances of the incident were being investigated and the British Embassy in Croatia was informed.

• Nurse, 20, brutally bashed after giving strangers lift home from party

• Suspicious death of 23-year-old man found injured on side of the road

A statement from the Norwegian Cruise Line said a guest fell overboard while the ship was on its way to Venice, Italy.

“We are pleased to advise that the guest was found alive and is currently in stable condition,” the statement said.