Passengers aboard a cruise ship caught in dangerous winds off Majorca have described how they helped search for a woman who fell overboard.

A Norwegian Cruise Line ship had been travelling to the Spanish island when dreadful weather conditions hampered its progress.

Tragedy struck on Saturday when a 63-year-old Korean woman fell from the ship into the Mediterranean sea.

Despite extensive searches with helicopters and help from other passengers the woman remains missing.

Claire Murphy, from Tonbridge, was on the cruise liner when she was asked to help find the woman.

She told the Sun: "They said they were turning round, because someone in pink pyjamas had been seen going overboard, so we had to go back and look for that person.

"Everyone was a bit bewildered. They asked everyone on board to help look for that person, so a lot of people were looking out of the windows or were on the edge of the ship but no one could see anything.

"It took us two hours to get back to the place where they were last seen.

"We were literally in the middle of the Med, it was really windy and it was very rocky. We stopped there for four hours to try and find the person."

Other passengers said the missing woman was last seen on her balcony at around 1am wearing a pink dressing gown.

A tannoy announcement later stated the woman was not a strong swimmer.

A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line said: “Early morning on June 8, a 63-year-old Korean female guest went overboard while the ship was sailing from Cannes, France, to Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

"As soon as the report was made, the authorities were notified and a search and rescue operation ensued.

"The search has now ceased, and sadly, the guest has not been found. Our thoughts and prayers are with the individual's family during this difficult time.”

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