Grandmother dropped in Arctic Ocean dies

A British grandmother who was dropped into the Arctic Ocean while being transferred from a cruise ship after falling ill has died in hospital, officials said today .

Janet Richardon, 73, was left floating in freezing waters for eight minutes until rescuers plucked her to safety. Pictures showed her desperately trying to stay afloat in the rough sea in the March 29 incident.

"It is with regret that Mrs Janet Richardson passed away" at Cumberland Infirmary in northwest England, North Cumbria University Hospitals said in a brief statement.

Richardson and her husband George, 78, were on the homeward leg of a two-week voyage from Britain to see the Northern Lights natural phenomenon when she started to suffer from internal bleeding.

Norwegian rescuers were dispatched in a boat to take her off the cruise liner, the Ocean Countess, but as they were moving her to the rescue vessel, she slipped from the stretcher.

She was eventually rescued and taken to the Norwegian port of Bodo before being transferred to Britain for further treatment.

Hans Skaar, head of the rescue department at Norwegian Sea Rescue, said their thoughts went out to the family.

"We are sorry for their loss," he told AFP.

"The sea rescue was asked to come for an ambulance mission, with trained ambulance personnel attending the vessel, strengthening the crew.

"They went to the cruise vessel and during the transfer... the vessels slid away from each other and she fell.

"We have performed an internal investigation... and this report is now under internal review. We have implemented preliminary revised procedures while the investigation is ongoing," he added.

The review will be completed within a fortnight.

The Norwegian Sea Rescue is a voluntary organisation and the people who work on the vessels are a mix of volunteers and professionals, he explained.

"On this vessel (sent out for Richardson's rescue) it was professional seamen on board," Skaar said.

Chris Coates, marketing director of Cruise and Maritime Voyages, the British firm that operates the Ocean Countess, said they were "deeply shocked" by Richardson's death.

The firm was doing "everything possible" to help the inquiry, he added.