Search for the woman who fell from a cruise ship. Photo: HELLENIC COASTAL DEFENSE A 44-year-old woman from El Salvador fell into the sea from a cruise ship sailing under the flag of the Bahamas (one of the world's largest cruise lines). After hours of searching, she was found alive on a life raft.
According to a statement from the Greek Coast Guard, the incident occurred last Friday, October 9, 2026, about 72 nautical miles southwest of the Greek island of Zakynthos (about 100 km).
The port authorities in Zakynthos received a report of the incident from the Search and Rescue Coordination Center and immediately activated the local emergency plan.
The search operation was joined by Greek Coast Guard vessels, ships passing through the area, and a Hellenic Air Force Super Puma helicopter. During the search, a lifebuoy was initially located, and in the early hours of the next day, the woman herself was found.
The woman was located by the crew of the Madeira-flagged cargo ship MSC ROSSELLA III, which participated in the search efforts. The ship's crew found the woman conscious and on the lifeboat.
After she was being, she was taken aboard a Coast Guard ship, where she received initial treatment. The ship then sailed toward the coast, and from there the woman was evacuated by ambulance to the Andreas Papandreou General Hospital in Pyrgos for medical attention and tests. The circumstances of the fall into the sea have not yet been clarified, and a preliminary investigation has been opened to clarify the incident.