Five bodies – believed to be migrants – 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 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

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 6:59 p.m.

But at 7:47 p.m., 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 in Spain Wednesday.

The boat, with over 3,000 passengers on board, is on a 14-day voyage which departed from a port near Rome, Italy, on April 19 and is scheduled to dock in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 3. 

The passenger, who first shared the story via Talk to the Press, said: “I’ve been on lots of cruises and I’ve never seen this before.

“There was someone on board who said they’ve been on 60 cruises and never seen anything like this.”

Princess Cruises said: “Princess Cruises confirms that on April 21, Sapphire Princess, while at sea en route to Cartagena, Spain, observed an orange inflatable lifejacket in the water. The vessel immediately altered course to investigate and, upon arrival on scene, deployed its Fast Rescue Boat.

“Five deceased individuals were recovered by the Sapphire Princess crew members and coordinated efforts with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC). The individuals involved are not guests or crew of Sapphire Princess.

“We extend our sincere condolences for this loss and are grateful to our crew for their swift response and efforts to render assistance.”