Miraculous moment British woman is rescued from Adriatic Sea ten hours after falling off cruise ship

This was the miraculous moment an “exhausted” British woman was rescued from the Adriatic Sea ten hours after falling off a cruise ship .

Pictures show the 46-year-old climbing aboard a Croatian rescue ship following a desperate search for her through the night.

The passenger, who has not been named, reportedly fell from the Norwegian Star cruise ship late on Saturday evening, while it was around 60 miles from the Croatian coast.

A rescue ship was scrambled by the Croatian coastguard and the woman was eventually found at around 9.45 on Sunday morning.

She was brought aboard the rescue ship before being taken to a hospital in the town of Pula, where she was said to be in a good condition.

The rescued passenger told Croatian news channel HRT: "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 added: "I am very lucky to be alive."

She was reportedly found just over a kilometre away from where she is believed to have fallen into the water.

The ship's captain, Lovro Oreskovic, said that the woman was exhausted but added that "we were extremely happy for saving a human life."

The circumstances of the incident are being investigated and the British Embassy in Croatia has been informed.

It happened as the Norwegian Star was returning to Venice, Italy, from a week-long cruise around Greek islands. It had last docked at the Croatian city of Dubrovnik and was heading back to Italy.

A spokeswoman for Norwegian Cruise Line said: "On the morning of August 19th, a guest went overboard as Norwegian Star made her way to Venice.

"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 a 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."

Three civilian ships were also involved in the rescue.