Local man sees passengers fall into water

A SCARTHO man was enjoying a cruise when two elderly people were thrown overboard during high winds.

John Moody was a passenger on the ship Black Watch, which was moored in Bilboa, northern Spain, when it broke free of its moorings, causing two elderly British tourists to fall into the sea.

He said: "We had all been on a coach trip and were waiting to get back on board when the ship broke its mooring ropes.

"People were crossing the gangplank and two elderly people fell about 20 feet down.

"A member of the crew jumped in after them and held onto them until a dingy arrived."

The 800-passenger ship was on an eight-day cruise of France and Spain when the incident happened.

Mr Moody, who was on the cruise with his friend Christine Gurnell, said: "They were in the water for about 15 to 20 minutes before anybody could get them out.

"The police boat that came first was too high at the sides and couldn't get them on board.

"Then a smaller dingy came and they were taken to hospital.

"The last thing we heard from the captain as we left Bilbao was that they're were still in intensive care."

The ship was not damaged during the incident and the cruise continued without the two elderly passengers.

He added: "We were some of the next people to board the ship and it could have been us.

"It was a very eventful trip with up to force 10 gales. We have been very lucky."

A spokesperson for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, which owns and manages the Black Watch, confirmed that high winds caused the ship to break free of its moorings and confirmed that the two people who went into the water are making good progress.