A 44-year-old woman from El Salvador has been rescued alive after spending nearly 20 hours in the sea off Greece, following an incident involving a cruise ship, Greek authorities have said.
The woman was located in the early hours of Saturday, October 10, after the crew of a cargo ship participating in a search-and-rescue operation spotted the flashing light on her life buoy in the Ionian Sea.
According to Greek media reports, she was found approximately 70 nautical miles southwest of Zakynthos, an island in western Greece. She was conscious when rescuers reached her.
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The search began on Friday, October 9, after authorities received information that the woman had gone overboard from a Bahamas-flagged cruise ship sailing in waters southwest of Zakynthos.
The incident reportedly occurred about 72 nautical miles from the island.
Greek authorities deployed two Coast Guard vessels and an Air Force helicopter, while merchant ships in the surrounding area also assisted in the search for the missing passenger.
The operation continued until the woman was spotted by a cargo ship, whose crew noticed the flashing light attached to her life buoy. The discovery enabled rescuers to locate her far from the reported position where she entered the water.
Following her rescue, Greek Coast Guard personnel provided first aid before taking her to the mainland port of Katakolo.
An ambulance subsequently transported her to a hospital in the nearby city of Pyrgos for medical examinations and observation.
Reports indicated that she was conscious when recovered from the sea. However, further details about her medical condition after hospital admission were not immediately available.
Her survival after such a prolonged period in the water drew attention to the role of the search-and-rescue operation and the life buoy’s flashing light in helping rescuers locate her.
Authorities have not publicly established all the circumstances surrounding the incident, including exactly how the woman entered the water.
The Greek Coast Guard has been investigating the case, while reports about the length of time she spent at sea have varied. Early reports said she had been in the water for more than 12 hours, while later accounts described the ordeal as lasting nearly 20 hours.
The incident highlights the difficulties of locating people in open water, particularly when they are many miles from land.
The woman’s rescue brought an end to an extensive search operation involving Greek maritime authorities, an Air Force helicopter and commercial vessels operating in the area.
