August 20, 2018

British air hostess, 46, who survived 10 hours in the Adriatic after plunging from cruise liner 'following night drinking having left her handbag and passport on deck'

A British woman pulled from the waters off Croatia 10 hours after falling off a cruise ship into the Adriatic Sea is a 46-year-old air hostess who had spent the evening drinking, MailOnline can reveal.

Kay Longstaff is understood to have fallen from the seventh deck of the 92,000-ton Norwegian Star 60 miles off the Croatian coast as it headed towards Venice.

Her disappearance at about midnight local time on Saturday triggered a frantic search by the crew after the alarm was raised, amid claims she had left her handbag and passport on the deck before she fell.

The ship doubled back to the sea area where she was thought to be and carried out at least four passes in its search for the missing woman, before a coastguard cutter and Pilatus PC-9 spotter plane joined the hunt and found her at about noon yesterday.

Here she is being rescued

Speaking after her miraculous rescue Ms Longstaff, who lives on Spain's Costa del Sol, said: 'I fell off the back of the Norwegian Star, and was in the water for ten hours. Then these wonderful guys rescued me.'

The British tourist, who was yesterday said to be recovering, used to work as cabin crew for Virgin Atlantic and now works on private planes.

One friend wrote on her Facebook page: 'So pleased you're OK and your strength got you through that horrid ordeal. Bless you… so pleased you are OK darling.'

Another said: 'OMG Kay! So glad you're OK, I couldn't believe my eyes.'

Footage from a Croatian broadcaster showed Kay Longstaff being helped on to dry land after her 10-hour ordeal in the sea...

See and Read more... http://www.itravelapp.net/british-air-hostess-save...