Moment female cruise passenger is found alive 70 miles off Zante ‘in true miracle’ 20 HOURS after jumping from mega ship ‘because she wanted to disembark’
Greek coast guards rescued a 44-year-old cruise passenger who spent about 20 hours in the sea after jumping from the Odyssey of the Seas. The incident prompted a search involving the ship, coast guard vessels and a navy helicopter, and led the cruise to skip its final stop in Naples.
The woman, from El Salvador, reportedly said she wanted to disembark and jumped with a lifebuoy at around 6am on Friday as the ship travelled from Mykonos to Naples. A passenger ferry spotted her early on Saturday about 70 miles off Zante, and a patrol boat brought her to safety; she was taken to hospital and was reported to be walking. Between 2009 and 2019, 48 of 212 people reported overboard from cruise ships were rescued, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.
- A passenger was rescued after about 20 hours at sea.
- A ferry spotted her roughly 70 miles off Zante.
- The cruise ship cancelled its Naples stop to assist the search.
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Cruise ships travel between several ports, and passengers usually leave the vessel at scheduled stops. Odyssey of the Seas is a large cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean; Zante, also known as Zakynthos, is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea.
When someone goes overboard, the ship and rescue services may search a wide area, while the vessel’s route and plans can be affected. Cruise ship passengers going overboard are rare, and finding someone alive after a prolonged time at sea is uncommon.