Watch: The moment three fishermen are rescued by a cruise liner off the Norfolk coast

Alexandra Rosen is aboard the Pacific Princess, which came to the rescue of three men in a liferaft after it is said they launched a flare to draw the ship's attention.

She tweeted to say it was a sobering moment when the cruise ship's captain revealed the two men were still at sea and unaccounted for.

Other people on the cruise ship, which was heading to Dover, have also tweeted images of the rescue of the three fishermen.

Passenger Teena Dowd said the captain announced there was a life raft on the ship's starboard side at around 6.30pm, and that within the hour the three men had been helped onto the boat.

The three men rescued from the life raft Picture: Alexandra Rosen/PA Wire

Ms Dowd, who is on the vessel with her daughter, said concerned passengers lined the deck and clapped as the shaken men were helped out of their lifeboat.

The Canadian, who lives near Toronto, said: 'We were on the very top deck, and people were just sort of holding their breath, everybody was anxious.

'Because we all at the time thought there was only three of them, and everybody clapped when they came on the ship.

'But we didn't know until a while later, when the captain announced that there was actually two more and we were still searching for them.'

The Pacific Princess Chris Ison/PA Wire

Ms Dowd said the crew threw a rope out to the trio in the hexagonal life raft, before extending a ladder so they could climb up the side of the ship.

One of the men fell into the water as he attempted to climb the ladder and had to be pulled back into the raft before more sturdy stairs were put in place, she said.

She said: 'Originally they didn't think we were going to be able to rescue them, the captain announced we were just going to float next to them so they were blocked from the wind until the coastguard got here, but then they were able to get close enough that they were able to climb up our ship.'

The ship stayed in the area for around an hour before being released by the Coastguard and continuing to Dover.

Lifeboats from Gorleston and Caister were dispatched around 8pm after the cruise ship found the three men in a life raft in the North Sea.

It is understood that the search area is located roughly 20 miles off the Gorleston coast.

The coastguard say all the men are foreign nationals.

The search for the missing men resumed today.