Cruise ship passengers left 'shaking' after five bodies pulled from sea

Cruise ship passengers left 'shaking' after five bodies pulled from seaThe Sapphire Princess assisted a three-hour recovery mission to pull five bodies from the water this week. A passenger on the cruise was left "shaking inside" as the incident unfoldedNewsKate Pounds and Paige Ingram00:05, 23 Apr 2026Updated 00:20, 23 Apr 2026View 3 ImagesOrange lifejackets were spotted between Spain and North AfricaFive bodies were pulled from the sea in a three-hour recovery mission by staff on a cruise ship.‌Passengers of the Sapphire Princess were told the ship was turning around because an orange object - which turned out to be a lifejacket - had been spotted in the western Mediterranean Sea, at 6pm European Summer Time, on April 21.‌Footage shows the body of a male, in a purple top and black shorts, being pulled into a lifeboat, covered with canvas, and moved onto the ship. Medical staff examined the body, before taking him to the hold of the ship and the cruise ship moved off again at 6:59pm.‌View 3 ImagesThe Sapphire Princess is a 115,875-ton Grand-class cruise ship designed for 2,670 passengers and 1,100 crew(Image: Handout)READ MORE: Meghan Markle slammed live on air for 'most vile move yet'READ MORE: Man fights for life after horror attack in Stockbridge Village chip shopBut 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. 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 Spain on April 22. The boat, with over three thousand passenger...