![A woman who fell off the Norwegian Star was rescued after 10 hours in the water. [Image Tom Mascardo/Flickr]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/8/20/660x290/b_502x220x82/a-woman-who-fell-off-the-norwegian-star-was-rescued-after-10-hours-in-the-water-image-tom-mascardoflickr_2078235.jpg "A woman who fell off the Norwegian Star was rescued after 10 hours in the water. [Image Tom Mascardo/Flickr]")
Kay Longstaff, 46, was enjoying a cruise on the cruise ship Norwegian Star. While on the aft deck of the cruise ship, she fell into the water. She was rescued on Saturday night after having spent 10 hours in the chilly water. According to the Croatian coastguard, she survived the experience and is stable. The incident happened while the cruise ship was 60 miles from the coast of Croatia.
Longstaff told reporters after her rescue, which happened after midnight on Saturday, that she was “very lucky to be alive” after her harrowing experience. She went on to thank the coastguard officers who saved her.
Fall from the Norwegian Star
Longstaff was reportedly on the aft deck of the ship when she took her tumble into the Adriatic Sea. It was 10 hours later that she was rescued from the water. The Metro quotes one of her rescuers, who was not named, as saying the woman had practiced yoga while in the water and sang to avoid feeling cold in the water overnight. It is unclear how Longstaff managed to fall from the cruise ship.
Passenger falls off Norwegian Star and survives 10 hours in the sea by yoga and singing! https://t.co/Q4yuGPhNSP
— Cruise Ship Life (@CruiseShipLife) August 20, 2018
Once rescued, Longstaff was taken to a hospital in Pula, Croatia by ambulance for a medical check. She told reporters that she felt lucky to still be alive after spending 10 hours in the water, going on to thank her rescuers.
Happy for saving a human life
The BBC quotes Lovro Oreskovic, captain of the Cavtat rescue vessel that found Longstaff, as saying that she was exhausted when she was found, but that they were very happy they saved a human life. According to David Radas, a spokesman for the Croatian Ministry of Maritime Affairs, the coastguard was able to work out the moment Longstaff fell from the ship into the water by checking the CCTV on the ship.
As they knew the exact time, they were then easily able to calculate the exact position of the cruise ship at the time of her fall into the Adriatic Sea. They then soon found her.
The Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed in a statement that one of their guests had fallen overboard while the Norwegian Star was sailing from Vargarola to Venice.
They added that they are pleased Longstaff was found alive and that she is in a stable condition in the hospital in Croatia. They also said that Longstaff is a UK resident, saying she will soon be reunited with her family and friends. The cruise line also advised that the cruise ship had been delayed during the rescue operation.
The UK Foreign Office has reportedly been in touch with the Croatian port authorities and the Norwegian Cruise Line relating to the incident and rescue.
