Two passengers on board the virus-hit P&O Cruises' liner Aurora have died, the company said today.
But P&O said the deaths were "not related" to the norovirus which has afflicted around 500 of passengers on the luxury liner in the last few days.
A company spokeswoman said: "I can confirm that two passengers have died during the duration of the cruise, but must stress that they are both unrelated to the norovirus."
Later, P&O said that one of the deaths had happened at the beginning of the cruise which started on October 20th, and that the other happened last weekend.
A spokeswoman added: "Both were male passengers in their 70s and both deaths were heart-related."
The virus causes nausea, chronic diarrhoea and vomiting. When many passengers succumbed to the illness, the Aurora was refused permission to dock in Greece.
The 1,800-passenger vessel then sailed for Gibraltar where its arrival led to a political storm in Anglo-Spanish relations, with Spain closing its border with Gibraltar when the ship docked there.
PA