A man has been detained after his wife disappeared from a cruise ship

A Dublin-based man is reportedly in custody in Italy following the disappearance of his wife from a cruise ship.

According to a report in the Irish Sun, the man, who is not an Irish citizen, was detained when he was attempting to board a flight to Ireland with his two children at Ciampino Airport on Tuesday night. Reports suggest the family boarded the luxury Magnifica in Genoa on February 10 but the woman’s disappearance was not reported until 10 days later when the crew noticed an issue with the passenger tally and reported it to police. The children, said to be aged four and six, are being cared for by social services. The 45-year-old man is due to appear in court tomorrow. While MSC cruises have refused to comment on the matter, the man's lawyer Luigi Conti told Independent.ie said that his client denies any involvement in his wife's disappearance and claimed there is a "perfectly good explanation" for what happened.