Cruise Passenger Saved After 20 Hours at Sea

The news reports give slightly different dates. CBS News, an American TV network, using information from the news agency AFP (Agence France-Presse), said the incident happened early on Friday and that she was found early on Saturday. Fox News, however, said the ship was passing Zakynthos on Saturday. After the alarm was raised, two coast guard boats and a navy helicopter searched the area, and other ships, including the cruise ship itself, joined in. A coast guard spokesperson told AFP that the woman had said she jumped because she "wanted to disembark", meaning she wanted to leave the ship.

After the rescue, she was taken to the port of Katakolo and then to a hospital in the city of Pyrgos for health tests. A local prosecutor ordered a psychiatric evaluation, which is a check of a person's mental health. The coast guard also released a video showing the rescue at night. In a separate, unrelated case last year, a man jumped from another Royal Caribbean ship near Puerto Rico, allegedly to avoid paying gambling debts. He was later charged with trying to avoid American rules on reporting money.