Sapphire Princess cruise ship recovers 5 bodies from sea during 3-hour mission 

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.