Woman falls from ferry in North Sea

A woman who fell from a ferry in the North is 'incredibly lucky to be alive' say rescue experts. Scroll down to see the video.

The 23-year-old was pulled from the water in pitch black conditions after she fell from the Holland-bound DFDS passenger ferry 20 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire.

She was left in the water for 30 minutes before rescuers could get to her.

Footage of the woman's amazing rescue from the North Sea was captured by the RAF Sea King helicopter.

The Princess Seaways was sailing from Newcastle to Ijmuiden on Monday night. The rescue helicopter from RAF Leconfield was scrambled, but the ferry' s own crew managed the woman from the water using a rescue craft.

The ship reversed after she fell, and after half an hour, the woman, from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, was pulled back onto the boat before being winched on board the helicopter and flown to Scarborough Hospital. She was checked for hypothermia and kept overnight before being released.

Flight Sergeant Rick Jones from RAF Search and Rescue said the woman was lucky to be alive.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, he said: 'To survive the fall, the time in the water and for the ferry to find her and all the assets to be in one place to get one person out such a vast area of the North Sea, she was incredibly lucky,' he said.

According to reports, a friend of the woman said she fell from the ferry while trying to light a cigarette from one the rails.