A P&O cruise ship has been hit by a suspected norovirus outbreak, with passengers claiming people are "dropping like flies" as sickness spreads on board.

One passenger aboard the P&O Iona travelling around the North Sea told Sky News that “people have been dropping like flies” as a “large number” of guests and staff were experiencing symptoms. "People [were] throwing up in restaurants, on decks, outside cabins," the passenger said.

The Kawasaki norovirus is a new strain of the vomiting bug sweeping the UK – and cruises, apparently. Passengers on a P&O cruise hoping to enjoy a week-long European tour are ‘dropping like flies’ amid a suspected outbreak of the virus. ‘People [were] throwing up in restaurants, on decks, outside cabins,’ one passenger told Sky News.

Passengers have been "dropping like flies" aboard the P&O cruise ship, owing to a suspected norovirus outbreak, a report in Sky News has claimed. The P&O Iona, carrying 5,000 guests and 1,800 staff members is currently passing Belgium on a seven-day cruise across northern Europe.

The P&O Iona, which is currently sailing off the coast of Belgium, has seen a large number of passengers and staff experiencing symptoms of the vomiting bug

Guests were said to be throwing up 'in restaurants, on decks, outside cabins' amid the suspected norovirus outbreak.

One passenger told Sky News people on board are "dropping like flies", as P&O confirms some guests have "unfortunately reported gastrointestinal symptoms".

This is the eighth gastrointestinal illness outbreak on cruises to meet the CDC’s threshold for public notification this year.