A Salvadoran woman was rescued after spending 20 hours in the Ionian Sea. She had gone overboard from Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas. The rescue was confirmed by the Hellenic Coast Guard.
The woman, 44 years old, was clinging to a lifebuoy when the cargo ship MSC Rossella III located her. This happened near the island of Zakynthos on a Saturday. The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared this information with USA Today.
Upon spotting the woman, the cargo ship alerted authorities. A Greek Coast Guard crew was soon on the scene. They were able to pull her to safety by tossing her ropes.
The woman stated she jumped from the ship because she wanted to leave. This was told to Agence France-Presse by a Coast Guard spokesperson. The woman had been in the water for 20 hours.
Once rescued, she was taken to the port of Katakolo. From there, she was brought to a hospital for assessment. A prosecutor ordered a psychiatric evaluation as part of the process.
The incident prompted Greek authorities to deploy both a Coast Guard vessel and a military helicopter. This was part of the search effort once the woman went overboard.
Fox News Digital sought comments from Royal Caribbean regarding the situation.
This incident reminded some of a similar event last year. A man had jumped off Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas near San Juan, Puerto Rico. He attempted this to evade a gambling debt of nearly $17,000. The passenger, Jey Gonzalez-Diaz, managed to survive and was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection upon his arrival.
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