Woman Found Floating After Going Overboard From Royal Caribbean Ship

A 44-year-old woman who went overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship was rescued after surviving roughly 20 hours in the water while holding onto a lifebuoy, according to the Hellenic Coast Guard.

The Salvadoran national was aboard the Odyssey of the Seas on Saturday as the ship traveled through the Ionian Sea near Greece’s Zakynthos island, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs told USA Today.

The search took a fortunate turn when the cargo vessel MSC Rossella III spotted the woman inside a bright orange lifebuoy in the dark sea. After notifying authorities, the ship stood by until a Greek Coast Guard crew arrived, lowered ropes and pulled her from the water.

The woman reportedly told officials that she jumped from the ship because she “wanted to disembark,” a Coast Guard spokesperson told Agence France-Presse. The spokesperson added that she had spent “20 hours at sea.”

After the rescue, authorities took her to the port of Katakolo before transporting her to a nearby hospital. The Hellenic Coast Guard said a prosecutor subsequently ordered a psychiatric evaluation.

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News Media contacted Royal Caribbean for comment.

The rescue comes after a similar incident last year involving a man who jumped from Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He reportedly made the leap in an effort to avoid nearly $17,000 in gambling debt.

The passenger, identified as Jey Gonzalez-Diaz, survived the jump and was later detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.