Royal Caribbean cruise ship woman missing for nearly a day found alive after 20 hours in sea off Greece

A 44-year-old woman who went overboard from Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas in the Mediterranean was found alive after nearly a day in the water, authorities said Sunday. Media reports say that the woman was found alive after a long and extensive search and rescue operation involving the Greek Coast Guard and other vessels. The woman, identified in the Greek media reports as a citizen of El Salvador, fell off a cruise ship into the sea dozens of miles off the coast of the Peloponnese.

She was rescued during the early hours of Saturday, October 10, 2026, after going missing from the cruise ship on Friday morning. She was some 70 nautical miles southwest of the Ionian Sea island of Zakynthos. It was not immediately known how she fell into the water and how she came to have a lifebelt.

The woman was conscious when Coast Guard personnel rescued her from the sea and received first aid aboard the rescue vessel that picked her up. She was then taken to the mainland port of Katakolo in the western Peloponnese, Greece. From Katakolo, she was transported to a hospital in the nearby town of Pyrgos “for medical observation and to undergo medical tests,” according to an official statement.

Woman was treated for hypothermia

Passengers who were aboard Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas indicated that she was being treated for hypothermia but was otherwise in a stable condition. Some passengers also reported that she was able to walk independently after being brought ashore. The incident happened early Friday, October 9, when authorities were notified that a woman had fallen overboard from a Bahamas-flagged cruise ship approximately 72 nautical miles southwest of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea.

Two Coast Guard vessels, an Air Force helicopter and merchant ships operating in the wider area were immediately pressed into action to search for the missing woman. The cruise ship also changed course and participated in the search operation.

A spokesperson for the cruise line said: “We immediately launched a search and rescue effort and are working with authorities. Our Care Team is actively providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time. For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.”

That statement was issued before news emerged that the woman had been found alive. According to passenger accounts shared online, the ship's captain later confirmed that the woman had been found alive and taken to hospital.

One passenger wrote: “Our cruise captain confirmed she was found alive, is at a mainland hospital and is doing well.” Another passenger reported: “Captain just updated she was found alive and was taken to a hospital, walked off on her own accord, she is fine other than hypothermia”.

How was the woman rescued?

As per reports, the woman was eventually located by a cargo vessel involved in the search operation. A flashing light attached to a lifebelt she was wearing helped rescuers spot her in the water.

The rescue brought an end to an extensive search operation that lasted several hours. Odyssey of the Seas had been sailing from Mykonos towards Naples as part of a seven-night Greek Isles cruise that began in Civitavecchia, Italy, on October 4. Following the search, the ship cancelled its scheduled stop in Naples and continued towards Civitavecchia.

One passenger described the lengthy operation in a post shared online: “As of 11pm last evening (Friday evening) we had been conducting search and rescue for about 14 hours before we started moving towards Civittivecchia (Rome’s port).”

The ship's captain subsequently informed passengers that the woman had survived, bringing a positive conclusion to an emergency that had prompted a major maritime search in the Ionian Sea.