Passenger Who Fell from Odyssey of the Seas Cruise Ship Rescued Near Zakynthos

A 44-year-old woman from El Salvador was rescued alive after spending nearly an entire day in the Ionian Sea, having fallen from the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas in waters southwest of the Greek island of Zakynthos. The passenger was located in the early hours of Saturday, October 10, about 70-72 nautical miles from the island, and recovered by the Hellenic Coast Guard, which reported that she was conscious and suffering from mild hypothermia.

Authorities were alerted in the early hours of Friday, October 9, that a passenger had fallen overboard from a Bahamas-flagged cruise ship. The search operation involved two Coast Guard vessels, a Greek Air Force helicopter, and merchant ships sailing in the area. While Cruise Mapper reported that the woman spent nearly 24 hours in the water, Marine Insight and Maritime Executive indicated that the time at sea was up to 20 hours.

The crew of a merchant ship taking part in the search spotted the flashing light from the woman's life jacket. Maritime Executive identified the vessel as the container ship MSC Rossella III, a 2,700 TEU, 38,771 deadweight-ton ship sailing from Piraeus to Gioia Tauro, Italy, when it detected the signal and immediately alerted the Coast Guard. A rescue patrol reached the woman, provided first aid on board, and then transported her to the port of Katakolon, in the western Peloponnese, from where she was taken to a hospital in the nearby town of Pyrgos for medical observation.

The Odyssey of the Seas, a Quantum Ultra-class ship with capacity for about 4,200 passengers and a gross tonnage of 167,704, was sailing from Mykonos to Naples when the incident occurred. The vessel had to remain in the area for several hours, circling to assist with the search, which forced the cancellation of its scheduled port call in Naples. According to Marine Insight, Royal Caribbean Group confirmed it had launched a search and rescue operation in coordination with Greek authorities, and the captain later informed passengers of the successful rescue before the ship completed its voyage in Civitavecchia, Rome.

Authorities did not officially establish how the woman fell into the water or how she came to have a life jacket. Maritime Executive reported unconfirmed accounts from passengers suggesting that the woman had jumped overboard around 06:00 on October 9 after grabbing a life jacket from the ship, and that she was traveling with family members. Testimonies shared online and cited by Marine Insight also indicated that, after being rescued, the woman was able to walk upon reaching land.