“Yelling for help”: Passengers reveal heroic actions of P&O cruise ship as they spend 10 hours rescuing migrants
British passengers on board a P&O cruise liner have explained how the ship helped to rescue more than 20 migrants who were on an inflatable dinghy off the Spanish coast.
Around 3,000 passengers were enjoying the stunning views of the Mediterranean as the ship sailed from Cadiz to Barcelona when they heard whistling, yelling and shouts for help coming from the water.
Passengers rushed to the ship’s balcony where they spotted an overcrowded dinghy, which was struggling to stay afloat.
The cruise ship quickly came to a halt as they spent an hour trying to find the inflatable raft.
A lifeboat was then sent to pick up the passengers, most of whom were men in their late teens. This heroic action took ten hours, as the cruise liner had to turn around to rescue those in the dinghy.
One passenger, who did not want to give her name, said to The Daily Mail: “Once the migrants were on board we had to go back on ourselves to Almeria, which took up a lot of time.
“The attitude of the passengers was quite mixed. Many were angry that we had been delayed and had to rescue these migrants. It was actually quite shocking what some people were saying.”
The passenger added: “It's not what you expect to happen on a Mediterranean cruise, but these people were just floating in the middle of the sea and were clearly in distress. We couldn't just leave them.”
Dorothy Hallet, 73, told MailOnline: 'It was certainly quite an interesting experience.
“On rushing towards the balcony, it was clear to see that in the water was an inflatable and overloaded dinghy.
“The officers on the bridge were aware of the situation but it takes some considerable time to stop a large ship and then circle it around to find the small craft again.
“The captain did an excellent job of manoeuvring the vessel.”
After the migrants were brought on board the ship, an endeavour that took two hours, they were searched by the ship’s security staff.
The captain then apologised for the delay, explaining that it was caused by “migrants in distress”.
Once the passengers reached Almeria, the migrants were taken off the ship by the Spanish coastguard and were handed over to local police.
Passengers also revealed that upon leaving the Azura, the migrants thanked them and the ship's officials for helping to save their lives.
Mrs Hallet, from Hampshire, who was on the cruise with her husband, added: “It's been a great humanitarian operation by P&O and they should be applauded for that. What happens next to those people will be down to the authorities.
“No matter what people think regarding those who make the often foolhardy and hazardous journeys from North Africa towards the countries of southern Europe, when faced with the possibility of rescuing drowning people we are bound by the instincts of humanity to save them.'”