Cruise passengers are left 'shaking' as crew pull bodies of five migrants out of the sea after the ship spotted a life-jacket and diverted during Med voyage

By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:41, 23 April 2026 | Updated: 09:44, 23 April 2026 Cruise passengers were left 'shaking' after crew pulled five bodies from the sea during a dramatic recovery mission in the Mediterranean on Tuesday. The victims, believed to be migrants, were spotted after an orange life jacket was seen floating in the water, forcing the ship to divert. Passengers aboard the Sapphire Princess were told the vessel was turning around after the object was sighted in the western Mediterranean at around 6pm local time.  Footage shows the body of a man, wearing a purple top and black shorts, being lifted into a lifeboat before being covered and brought on board. Medical staff examined the body, before taking him to the hold of the ship and the cruise ship moved off again at 6:59pm. But at 7:47pm another orange life jacket was spotted, and a second body was brought onto the ship. Videos show three more bodies being pulled from the water before the captain announced the recovery of five bodies was complete. A passenger, who does not want to be named, said: 'It was very sad to watch.. I was shaking inside. Cruise passengers were left 'shaking' after crew pulled five bodies from the sea during a dramatic recovery mission in the Mediterranean on Tuesday The victims, believed to be migrants, were spotted after an orange life jacket was seen floating in the water, forcing the ship to divert 'The crew were very good at keeping everyone calm, but everyone was shocked. 'From what I saw I think they were migrants. 'The crew treated them with respect and we were all offered counselling.' The cruise ship was between the coasts of Spain and North Africa, and docked at Cartagena in Spain yesterday (22). The boat, with over three thousand passengers on board, is on a fourteen-day voyage which departed from a port near Rome, Italy, on April 19 and is scheduled to dock in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 3. The passenger, who first shared the story via Talk to the Press, said: 'I've been on lots of cruises and I've never seen this before. 'There was someone on board who said they've been on 60 cruises and never seen anything like this.' Princess Cruises said: 'Princess Cruises confirms that on April 21, Sapphire Princess, while at sea en route to Cartagena, Spain, observed an orange inflatable lifejacket in the water.  Passengers aboard the Sapphire Princess were told the vessel was turning around after the object was sighted in the western Mediterranean at around 6pm local time 'The vessel immediately altered course to investigate and, upon arrival on scene, deployed its Fast Rescue Boat. 'Five deceased individuals were recovered by the Sapphire Princess crew members and coordinated efforts with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC).  'The individuals involved are not guests or crew of Sapphire Princess. 'We extend our sincere condolences for this loss and are grateful to our crew for their swift response and efforts to render assistance.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.