A 44-year-old woman has been rescued alive after spending approximately 20 hours in the Ionian Sea, having allegedly jumped overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship near the Greek island of Zakynthos.
The woman, a national of El Salvador, was travelling aboard Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas when the incident occurred on the morning of Friday, 9 October 2026. According to the Greek coastguard, the Bahamas-flagged vessel was sailing approximately 72 nautical miles southwest of Zakynthos when the passenger entered the water.
A coastguard spokesperson told AFP that the woman later explained she had jumped because “she wanted to disembark”. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.
Following reports that the passenger had gone overboard, Greek authorities launched an extensive search and rescue operation involving coastguard patrol boats, nearby merchant vessels and a Super Puma helicopter from the Hellenic Air Force. The Odyssey of the Seas also participated in the search.
After nearly 20 hours in the water, the woman was located in the early hours of Saturday, 10 October, by the cargo ship MSC Rossella III, which was sailing under the flag of Madeira and assisting with the operation.
According to reports, the crew first spotted a flashing light attached to a circular lifebuoy, which helped them identify the woman’s position in the darkness. She was found conscious inside the flotation device, approximately 70 nautical miles southwest of Zakynthos and around two nautical miles from where she had reportedly entered the sea.
The woman was subsequently recovered by a coastguard rescue boat and provided with first aid before being transported to the port of Katakolo, on the western coast of the Peloponnese. She was later transferred by ambulance to a hospital in Pyrgos for medical examinations and observation.
According to AFP, the medical checks also included a psychiatric evaluation ordered by a local prosecutor. The Katakolo Port Authority has launched an investigation into the incident.
The Odyssey of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean International, is a large cruise ship capable of accommodating more than 4,000 passengers across 16 decks. The vessel was travelling through the Mediterranean when the incident occurred.
The incident is not the first involving a cruise passenger surviving an extended period at sea. In August 2018, British tourist Kay Longstaff was rescued by Croatian coastguards after spending approximately 10 hours in the Adriatic Sea following a fall from the Norwegian Star.
