Police are continuing to hold two men following a fire on board a North Sea ferry which sparked a dramatic rescue by RAF helicopters.
When passengers were allowed off the King Seaways cruise ferry after it returned to North Shields, North Tyneside, some vowed never to sail again.
A blaze, said to have been caused by a smoker, started in a cabin when the vessel was around 30 miles off the North Yorkshire coast at around 10.45pm on Saturday night.
Two RAF helicopters scrambled to the scene and winched two passengers and four crew members to safety so they could have hospital treatment after breathing in smoke.
The ferry sailed back to Tyneside and most of the 946 passengers were allowed off yesterday morning while others remained to be interviewed by detectives.
Northumbria Police arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of arson and a 28-year-old man on suspicion of affray.
Steven Basford, 28, from Northumberland, who was travelling to Amsterdam with his partner Vic Liang to celebrate New Year with friends, said: “We were in our room at about 10.40pm last night when they raised the general fire or emergency alarm with seven high pitched siren noises.
“People were generally pretty calm. Obviously people had had a lot to drink. It’s a bit of a party boat. Two big blokes started brawling.”
Gert Jakobsen, a spokesman for ferry operator DFDS Seaways, said: “We are very sorry for those passengers who have not only been affected by the fire but now by these delays.”