Santorini: 66-year-old injured on boat

A 66-year-old American woman was injured on Saturday, September 12, 2026, on a tourist boat anchored outside the port of Thira, on Santorini. According to voicenews.gr, the passenger was walking inside the vessel when she lost her balance and fell, injuring her right ankle. The crew immediately became aware of the incident and informed the relevant authorities to arrange the transfer of the injured woman to shore and then to a hospital facility for further examination of her injury. The authorities were informed following the standard procedure applied in similar incidents within Thira’s sea jurisdiction.

September remains a period of increased activity for small ships and tourist day-cruise vessels around Santorini, as many visitors choose autumn to avoid summer crowds. Anchoring outside Thira’s port is a common practice for vessels serving passengers to and from the Caldera. After the injury, the 66-year-old was transferred by inflatable boat to Athinios port, from where EKAB took over her transfer to the General Hospital of Thira. The transport chain from anchorage to hospital followed the established procedure applied by Thira’s Port Authority in similar incidents, aimed at providing the fastest possible medical care to the injured woman. Such transfers between vessel, inflatable and port are common practice for dealing with urgent incidents at locations where direct access from shore is not available.

The General Hospital of Thira remains the only hospital facility on the island and is frequently called upon to handle incidents involving visitors, especially at the end of the tourism season when traffic in the port and sea activities remains high. Injuries on boats, falls, and other health incidents involving visitors regularly occupy local health services, as recently shown in the case of a man rescued unconscious on Mikri Kameni. In several cases, when the patient’s condition requires it, transfer off-island follows, as has been documented in recent airlifts of patients from Cyclades islands. In this particular case, however, no need for further transfer off Santorini has been reported, as medical care was provided at the local hospital.

A preliminary investigation is being conducted by Thira’s Port Authority, which is examining the conditions under which the fall occurred inside the vessel. The incident was reported through the Unified Search and Rescue Coordination Center, which is notified of any such event in sea areas under the port authority’s jurisdiction. To date, no further information has been released regarding the 66-year-old’s health status beyond the right ankle injury. Authorities are expected to complete the related investigation in the coming days, with no additional findings yet released regarding the vessel’s conditions at the time of the incident. This procedure aims at documenting the exact circumstances of the incident in accordance with the port authority’s established procedures.