Crew members aboard the world’s largest cruise ship have rescued 14 people who had been stranded at sea on a tiny boat for eight days.

The drama unfolded as the 1,198ft (365m) Icon of the Seas headed for Honduras after leaving Miami.

Passengers heard a broadcast over the loudspeakers of “code Oscar, code Oscar, code Oscar”, which is the emergency call sign for a person overboard.

The crew launched a small vessel to ferry the stranded group, who had been waving a large white flag, to safety.

Miami-based Royal Caribbean said in a statement the liner encountered the craft “adrift and in need of assistance”.

The cruise operator added: “The ship’s crew immediately launched a rescue operation, safely bringing 14 people on board.

“The crew provided them with medical attention, and is working closely with the US Coast Guard.”

Alessandra Amodio was on the cruise liner with her family when the rescue happened.

She told FoxWeather.com: “We were really surprised and honestly a little freaked out.

“We’ve been on a handful of cruises and never seen something like this happen. It was crazy to think that these people were stuck at sea for so long.”

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She added: “The boat turned around, and we pulled up as close as we could to them and stopped.”

Ms Amodio said the ship deployed “a small zodiac-type rescue boat to investigate”.

The ship’s captain subsequently informed passengers those rescued had been adrift at sea for eight days.

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The cruise liner, which only made its maiden voyage in January, can host 5,610 guests and has 2,350 crew members.

It boasts 20 decks, 2,800 guest cabins and seven swimming pools.

The ship dwarfs the Titanic, which was 882.9ft (269m) long.

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