Woman rescued after treading water for 10 hours in the Adriatic Sea

Briton discovered exhausted after falling off the back of a cruise ship

Cruise ship passengers arriving in Croatia. Reuters

A British woman was rescued in the Adriatic Sea off Croatia on Sunday after spending 10 hours in the sea after falling off the back of a cruise ship.

The woman, who has not been named but who identified herself as Kay from England and said she was 46 years old, fell from the Norwegian Star shortly before midnight on Saturday into the Adriatic Sea, some 95 kilometres from the coast of Croatia.

She was rescued by a Croatian search vessel close to where she went missing and was said to be exhausted after her ordeal.

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The woman, who was able to speak briefly with a television crew on the portside, was taken to hospital in coastal city Pula.

"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 news channel HRT.

The ship's captain, Lovro Oreskovic, said that she was very tired. "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.

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

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