Passengers on board a P&O ferry were left horrified after an apparent suicide bid from a 21-year-old woman who jumped off the deck into the sea.

Shocked witnesses - including her medical student friends, who she had been on a university skiing trip with - watched her plunge 130ft into the freezing water of Calais harbour.

A quick-witted passenger threw the woman a safety ring. She was rescued by P&O crew members on a fast rescue boat within six minutes at 12.35pm on Saturday.

Chris Laming, from P&O, said: "We are full of praise for the extreme professionalism of our crew, who no doubt saved this woman's life.

"They reacted incredibly quickly, following training procedures."

"We are full of praise for the extreme professionalism of our crew, who no doubt saved this woman's life..." - Chris Laming from P&O

The Spirit of Britain, the largest ferry on the Calais to Dover route, was just leaving Calais harbour but was urged to stop again.

The woman, who has not been named, was believed to be psychologically distressed.

She was taken to the ship's emergency centre and then taken to hospital with bruising to her legs.

Investigators questioned witnesses to the incident and have established that the fall was not accidental, according to Calais sources.

The woman remains in Calais with her parents.