A couple aboard the storm-hit Saga cruise ship were hanging on for their lives after being told to “sit or lie down” by the “physically frightened” captain for 15 hours as the ship was ravaged by 30ft waves

A couple have described the terrifying moment they were told to “sit or lie down” as their Saga cruise ship was hit by a storm and stalled in the Bay of Biscay, forcing them to “fend for their lives.” to hold onto”.

The Spirit of Discovery cut short its two-week voyage and headed back to Portsmouth on Saturday to escape the approaching storm when fierce winds and choppy waters overtook it.

According to Saga, around 100 of the 1,000 people on board were injured, most of them injured when the ship’s safety system activated, causing the ship to tilt dramatically and come to a shaking stop.

Passengers described people being “flung” by the force of the emergency stop and images showed books, tables and other furniture being thrown to the ground as the violent storm hit the ship.

Jan Bendall, 75, who was traveling with her husband, said the ship then remained stationary for 15 hours and was “caught in the middle of the storm” during that time.

A passenger aboard the Saga cruise ship, which was hit by storms, revealed that people on board screamed for their lives as 30-foot waves smashed into the windows

Jan Bendall, 75, said the ship then remained stationary for 15 hours and was “caught in the middle of the storm” during that time.

A statement from Saga Cruises said: “Spirit of Discovery was unfortunately affected by challenging weather conditions this weekend as she made her return to the UK.”

Undated Saga handout photo of the cruise ship The Spirit of Discovery, which was hit by storms on Saturday

Ms Bendall said of the dramatic experience: “We were lucky – we’re doing pretty well, but I think some of the older people and the people in their own huts were quite worried.”

She added that part of the dining room was converted into a “makeshift medical area” and passengers were instructed to remain in their cabins for the remainder of Saturday and all of Sunday.

Despite the ordeal, she said the staff were “absolutely fantastic”, the crew and captain provided regular updates and continually reassured passengers that “the ship was safe”.

She and her husband disembarked at around 0900 GMT on Tuesday and reported seeing workers replacing glass doors, windows and partitions that had been broken by the storm.

Other passengers said this BBC that the stricken ship’s captain sounded “physically frightened” as he spoke to them, while crew members cried and others “feared for their lives.”

Passenger Richard Reynolds told MailOnline that people on board screamed for their lives as 30ft waves smashed into the windows. He described the crossing as one of the most traumatic things he had ever experienced.

The 60-year-old was on the ship with his wife and elderly parents.

His mother, 84, was injured when the ship rocked and was thrown to the ground while he and others were locked in their cabins, where passengers wrote final messages to family members on their phones and wore life jackets continuously for two days in the event that the ship capsized.

Richard and his family spent £19,000 on the cruise and he is considering legal action against Saga.

He told MailOnline: “We haven’t seen the captain since this incident – normally they would be saying goodbye to his passengers.”

The passenger said people were screaming and furniture, plates and glass were flying in all directions

“All we have received is a letter from CEO Nigel Blanks apologizing, which was normal company drivel, and saying they will get back to you in a week about compensation.”

He added: “The whole experience was terrible.” Waves hit the fifth floor windows, people screamed and furniture, plates and glass flew in all directions.

“I am a former military and firefighter and have had many traumatic experiences in my career, but this is among the worst of them.”

“People were screaming for their lives, things were banging and crashing around us and they thought they were going to die.”

“We were locked in our cabins for two days, lying in bed fully clothed and wearing life jackets.

Some were locked in their cabins, where passengers wrote final messages to family members on their phones and wore life jackets continuously for two days in case the ship capsized

“I know other passengers wrote notes to their loved ones on their cell phones because they thought they wouldn’t get out.”

“We were there looking after my elderly parents, my mother was in the infirmary because she had a fall.” They were so crowded that they had to convert the main dining room into a makeshift first aid area because it was completely overcrowded.

“She witnessed someone being resuscitated by three staff members and they say only minor injuries were sustained?”

The ship’s automatic safety system activated, causing the ship’s engines to start and sending the ship into a tight turn, reportedly causing injuries, but Mr Reynolds says many passengers had already been injured before this happened.

He also said he believed the actual number of injured was closer to 150 than 100.

He added: “There were 980 passengers on board and we heard that over 150 people were injured, which is 15% of the passengers when the average age was 76 years.”

“People had broken hips, my mother fell and luckily she was fine, but she was kept in the infirmary where someone had to be resuscitated in front of her.” These were not minor injuries.

“It is completely unacceptable to subject passengers to these extreme conditions and then gloss over what happened.”

The five other seriously injured passengers were treated at the ship’s medical center and taken to hospital as a precautionary measure last night after the ship finally arrived in Portsmouth Harbor.

Responding to questions about the decision to return to the UK via the Bay of Biscay, Saga said continuing with the original tour or choosing an alternative route would have meant facing the storm head-on.

The crew had originally planned to dock at the port of La Coruna in northwestern Spain, but were informed en route that the port was closed due to bad weather, forcing them to continue north and transit the Bay of Biscay on the way to Britain .

The company claims that the vessel is adequately prepared for the demanding conditions expected.

But Mr Reynolds claims that Saga’s priority was to get the ship ready for the next cruise.

He said: “The bottom line is we shouldn’t have been there, we were the only cruise ship that didn’t seek shelter.”

“We were told three days before the storm that we would try to get ahead of the storm. All they cared about was getting back on time for the next cruise.

“They prioritized boat recovery over safety.” I tracked this storm on my phone two days before we got there. They thought they could get ahead of him, but we were caught in the storm with 14 meter waves and 70 mph winds.

The passengers and crew of the Spirit of Discovery cruise ship (pictured) faced a horrific ordeal when they were forced to abandon their trip to the Canary Islands last week

A statement from Saga Cruises said: “Spirit of Discovery was unfortunately affected by challenging weather conditions this weekend as she made her return to the UK.”

“The ship remained safe at all times, but some guests were injured due to the effects of the storm.” All were immediately treated by medical staff on board.

“Although the weather is clearly beyond our control, we would like to sincerely apologize to all those affected who are now safely on their way home to calmer seas.”

The company added that damage to the ship’s equipment was “very limited.”

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk