On August 19, a British woman was rescued from sea after she fell off a cruise ship. The woman had been struggling for ten hours until she was rescued alive by Croatian coastguard.
What happened?
The 46 year old woman was rescued after she fell from a cruise ship ‘Norwegian Star’ about 60 miles off the coast when the cruise liner was sailing through the Adriatic Sea.
Rescued alive
The woman identified as Kay was struggling to stay afloat in the water for nearly ten hours until she was rescued by the Croatian coastguard. The rescued woman was reported to be safe but tired. She was taken to hospital in the city of Pula, where she was said to be in a stable condition.
Cruise liner accused of negligence
A maritime lawyer claimed that the cruise ship had abandoned the search before the passenger was found alive.
The ship’s crew was alleged to have abandoned the search and continued on their journey to Venice.
Abandoned search
Lawyer Tim Walker, who specialises in making claims against the cruise industry, said that 319 people had gone overboard since 2000. He said it was extremely uncommon for them to be pulled from the water alive.
Mr Walker, based in Miami, Florida, said: “I believe that the Norwegian Star, which is owned by the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), had abandoned the search and was continuing its course to Venice when the woman was rescued. I guess crews were hesitant to carry out exhaustive search and rescue operations for fear of causing delays”.
Statement issued by cruise liner
The Northstar cruise liner issued a statement: “The Coast Guard 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”.
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Source: i News
