A rescue operation off Greece ended with crews bringing a Royal Caribbean passenger safely ashore after she went overboard in the Ionian Sea.
The passenger spent 20 hours in the water, a Greek coast guard spokesperson told AFP, CBS News reported.
A 44-year-old woman from El Salvador went overboard on October 9, and a cargo ship located her early on October 10, the Hellenic Coast Guard said in an October 11 release.
The incident involved Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas near the Greek island of Zakynthos, WSB-TV reported. The cruise line confirmed that it launched a search and worked with authorities.
Greek authorities received the initial alert while the cruise ship sailed 72 nautical miles southwest of Zakynthos, according to the coast guard release.
Officials activated an emergency plan and deployed a rescue boat and patrol vessel. A Hellenic Air Force Super Puma helicopter and passing ships also joined the search.
The cargo ship MSC Rossella III located the woman conscious inside an orange life ring. A coast guard rescue vessel then recovered her and provided first aid, the agency said.
The woman reportedly told rescuers that she jumped overboard because she “wanted to disembark,” AFP reported.
The rescue crew brought her to the port of Katakolo. An ambulance then took her to a hospital in Pyrgos for observation and medical examinations, including a psychiatric exam ordered by the local prosecutor. The Katakolo Port Authority is investigating the incident, according to the release.
Royal Caribbean also addressed its response to the passenger’s family in a statement that WSB-TV published.
“Our Care Team is actively providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time,” the company said. “For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.”
A separate overboard rescue in November 2022 involved a Carnival passenger near Louisiana, as The Dallas Express previously reported. A cargo ship spotted that man, and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew lifted him from the water, according to the agency’s contemporaneous release.
