Greek Authorities Probe UK Passenger’s Cruise Death Near Santorini
A passenger boat brought the woman to Athinios Port before she was moved to the General Hospital of Thira; an autopsy was ordered in Piraeus.
A 62-year-old woman from the United Kingdom died in her cabin aboard a Marshall Islands-flagged cruise ship near Santorini early Sunday, July 26, the Greek Coast Guard said. The Port Authority of Thira opened an investigation after the passenger was taken ashore to Santorini and later pronounced dead at the General Hospital of Thira.
Greek authorities described the vessel by flag state but have not publicly identified it. The port authority ordered the body transferred to the Forensic Medical Service of Piraeus for an autopsy.
The Coast Guard said the Thira port authority was notified in the early morning that the passenger had “died in her cabin.” A passenger boat transported the woman to Athinios Port, Santorini’s main ferry and commercial port on the southwest side of the island, before she was moved to the island hospital. Athinios is separate from Santorini’s Old Port, or Skala, where cruise passengers typically arrive by tender below Fira.
A CruiseMapper review cited by PEOPLE and Cruise Hive showed three cruise ships anchored near Santorini that day: Celebrity Infinity, Oceania Regatta and Celestyal Discovery. Of those, Oceania Cruises’ Regatta is listed under the Marshall Islands flag. Authorities have not confirmed that identification. Oceania Cruises did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
CruiseMapper listed Regatta on a 14-day sailing that departed Monaco on Friday, July 17, with calls in Italy, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and Turkey. After the Santorini call, the ship visited Mykonos and was listed for Izmir, Turkey, on Tuesday, July 28. The itinerary is scheduled to conclude in Istanbul on Friday, July 31.
