The UK woman who survived 10 hours lost in the Adriatic Sea continued to complain about her boyfriend despite being rescued, says the captain who saved her life.
- British woman rescued 10 hours after falling from cruise ship
- UK woman who survived 10 hours in Adriatic Sea accused of lying
Kay Longstaff, 46, was on board the Norwegian Star cruise ship bound for Venice on Saturday night (local time) when she says she fell from the ship's back deck into the water. A rescue ship found her on Sunday morning 100km off the coast of Croatia, still swimming near where she fell.
But she's been accused of jumping over the side following an argument with her boyfriend. Witnesses say they saw Ms Longstaff in a domestic dispute in the hours before she went overboard.
And rescue ship captain Lorvo Oreskovic says Ms Longstaff continued to criticise her partner despite her ordeal in the water.
"She was talking about the boyfriend. I can't tell you exactly what she said because it's all under investigation, but she didn't say anything positive," he says, according to The Telegraph.
She was also worried she would be forced to pay for her rescue mission.
"She was very frightened that it was a big problem for her that she would be charged for the rescue. She thought she would have to pay for the whole rescue operation," says Captain Oreskovic.
The captain says the rescue message transmitted by the cruise ship alleged Ms Longstaff had jumped into the sea, rather than fallen in accidentally as she claims.
"On the open radio channel in the communication with the cruise ship, they said that she jumped," he says.
This has been backed up by others on board the cruise ship.
Eddie Palladino, a fellow passenger on the Norwegian Star, told The Mirror that the captain referred to Ms Longstaff as a "jumper" when he made an announcement via the ship's intercom.
And the cruise company chief executive's mother has told The Daily Telegraph that all is not as it seems.
"She didn't fall off," Andrew Stuart's mother was quoted as saying. "She jumped. This has cost Norwegian Cruise Line $600,000. This stupid woman."
She says her son told her there was no way Ms Longstaff could have accidentally fallen from the deck.
"You would have to take steps to climb over the railings. He said she jumped in the water."
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