Five people have been killed after a lifeboat fell from a cruise ship in the Canary Islands.
The ship’s operator, British tour company Thomson Cruises, said the incident in the port of Santa Cruz in La Palma, involved the vessel’s crew.
A spokesman said: “Thomson Cruises can confirm there was an incident involving the ship’s crew during a safety drill on board Thomson Majesty in La Palma, Canary Islands, today (Sunday) at 11.50am local time.
“We can also confirm that there have sadly been five crew fatalities and three crew members injured.”
All of the staff who died were men three from Indonesia, one from the Philippines and one from Ghana.
Thomson Cruises said one of the injured people had been discharged from hospital, and it expected the two others to be released soon.
About 1,400 passengers were on board at the time, but none were involved in the accident.
Investigators are trying to determine what caused the lifeboat to plummet into the water before capsizing.
The small, white two-hulled lifeboat could be seen capsized beside the large ship.
Thomson and the Foreign Office said there were no Britons involved.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “The thoughts of all seafarers will be with the friends and families of those who have lost their lives in this tragic incident.
“Once again the spotlight is on the issue of safety in the UK shipping and cruise industry and RMT awaits the outcome of the investigation and recommendations that can prevent any repetition of today’s shocking events.”