A British woman has survived after falling from a cruise ship off the coast of Croatia, the country's coastguard has said.

Officials said the 46-year-old was rescued 10 hours after falling into the Adriatic Sea - 60 miles offshore - around midnight on Saturday the BBC reports.

The woman - named by newspapers as Kay Longstaff - was taken to hospital in the town of Pula.

She told reporters she fell off the back and was "very lucky to be alive".

Speaking to Croatian news channel HRT after stepping off the coastguard patrol boat the Cavtat, she added: "I was in the water for 10 hours, so these wonderful guys rescued me."

She was then taken to hospital in an ambulance.

The rescue vessel's captain, Lovro Oreskovic, said she was found on Sunday "exhausted", adding: "We were extremely happy for saving a human life."