The 44-year-old Salvadoran woman was found conscious in a life ring after an overnight search southwest of the Greek island of Zakynthos.
ZAKYNTHOS, Greece — A 44-year-old cruise passenger was rescued alive after spending about 20 hours in the Ionian Sea following an overboard incident from Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, according to Greek authorities and subsequent reports about the rescue.
The woman, a citizen of El Salvador, went into the water on the morning of Oct. 9 as the Bahamas-flagged cruise ship was sailing about 72 nautical miles southwest of Zakynthos. The Hellenic Coast Guard said authorities activated an emergency response after being notified of the incident, sending rescue vessels to the area and calling on nearby ships and a Hellenic Air Force Super Puma helicopter to help search. The woman was found conscious early Oct. 10 and was taken ashore for medical care.
The Hellenic Coast Guard said crews initially located a flashing light associated with a circular life ring during the search. In the early hours of the next morning, the Madeira-flagged cargo ship MSC Rossella III, which was participating in the operation, located the woman inside the flotation device. A Coast Guard rescue vessel then recovered her and provided first aid, according to the agency’s Oct. 11 account.
Video released by the Coast Guard showed the nighttime recovery in open water. A light from a nearby vessel illuminated the woman as rescuers approached, and a rope was thrown toward her. She could be seen holding the flotation device before using the rope to move toward the vessel. The footage did not establish how she entered the water or how she obtained the life ring.
After the rescue, the Coast Guard vessel traveled to the mainland port of Katakolo. An ambulance then transported the woman to Andreas Papandreou General Hospital in Pyrgos for medical monitoring and examinations, authorities said. The Coast Guard’s original statement did not give a detailed update on her condition after she reached the hospital, but it said she was conscious when found.
Later reporting provided additional information about the circumstances surrounding the incident. A Greek Coast Guard spokesperson told Agence France-Presse that the woman said after her rescue that she had jumped from the ship because she wanted to disembark. That statement describes what the woman reportedly told rescuers and is not a final investigative finding about the circumstances or her state of mind when she entered the water.
People, citing a report attributed to Greek Coast Guard spokesperson George Tsapras, reported Friday that the ship’s captain notified Greek authorities at about 10:30 a.m. Oct. 9, roughly three hours after the woman went into the sea. The Hellenic Coast Guard’s published statement says authorities were notified during the morning but does not provide the precise time she entered the water or the time the initial notification was received.
CBS News and Agence France-Presse reported that Odyssey of the Seas also took part in the search. Two Coast Guard vessels and other ships in the region were involved along with the military helicopter. The extended operation continued through the night over a large stretch of open water before the cargo ship located the woman early the following morning.
CBS News, citing a Coast Guard spokesperson, reported that medical testing after the rescue included a psychiatric evaluation ordered by a local prosecutor. Greek authorities have not publicly released the results of that evaluation. The woman’s name has not been made public, and officials have identified her by her age and nationality.
The circumstances remain under investigation by the Katakolo Port Authority. The Hellenic Coast Guard has not announced a final finding explaining the incident, and no further official update on the woman’s medical condition had been released as of Friday.
Author note: Last updated October 16, 2026.