A British woman was rescued 10 hours after falling from a cruise ship into the sea off Croatia, the country's coastguard said.

The 46-year-old woman, named Kay, had been on a Norwegian Star cruise ship, but ended up in the Adriatic Sea shortly before midnight on Saturday following the incident around 60 miles off the coast.

Speaking to media after getting off the rescue boat, Kay said she was "very lucky to be alive".

She was exhausted when found swimming the following morning, the rescue ship's captain Lovro Oreskovic said.

He added: "We were extremely happy for saving a human life."

The woman was taken to a hospital in the nearby town of Pula.

A spokeswoman for Norwegian Star said: "A report was made that a guest aboard Norwegian Star had gone overboard while the ship was returning to Venice.

"As soon as the report was made the ship began a search and notified the appropriate authorities. The ship will be delayed on her return to Venice."