Barbara Rich on board the cruise liner looking at a Spanish naval ship

An idyllic cruise of a lifetime ended in terror for a south Shropshire couple when their ship was attacked by pirates while on holiday in the Indian Ocean.

Barbara and Frank Rich had been on an MSC cruise from South Africa to Italy when pirates approached the ship in a small speedboat, firing automatic weapons, near the Seychelles Islands on April 25.

Barbara Rich

Mr and Mrs Rich were among 1,000 passengers enjoying a cruise on MSC Melody in the Indian Ocean when the pirates struck.

All passengers were ordered by the captain to stay below deck while the raiders were successfully seen off.

Mrs Rich who has now returned home to Fishmore View, Ludlow, said: “I didn’t see anything but I did hear two gunshots and then what appeared to be more shots. The next morning we could see that two windows had bullet holes in them.”

She said there were reports from passengers of seeing a ladder appearing over the side of the ship and some said a group of Australians had thrown sun beds to deter the would-be boarders.

“There was evidence that the hoses had been used and two windows were smashed,” she said.

“We kept going round in circles which presumably was to do with breaking the radar pattern. It made for a hairy cruise.”

The huge cruise ship was eventually escorted to safety by a Spanish warship as a precaution.

MSC Cruises spokeswoman Sarah Longbottom said that the company had taken all the necessary precautions to evade piracy at sea.

She said: “The ship initiated avoidance procedures and quickly escaped the attack with no injuries.”