An investigation is underway after a cruise guest was discovered deceased on a remote island in the Great Barrier Reef. It has been reported that the cruise line left the 80-year-old woman behind on Lizard Island, off the coast of Australia, during an excursion.
She was hiking with other guests from the Coral Adventurer cruise ship, when she stopped for a rest. The ship departed the island later that day, but somehow the woman’s whereabouts weren’t flagged before it set sail.
Coral Expeditions said the woman’s family is being supported over the “tragic death”.
Full investigation is underway
“While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred. We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation,” said cruise line CEO, Mark Fifield.
The ship crew only realized the guest hadn’t returned to the ship several hours later, and the Coral Adventurer returned to the island. A late-night land and air search was carried out in the dark, but there was no sign of the woman, who hadn’t been publicly identified.
The body was found the next day. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is investigating and plans to interview the ship’s crew this week.
It will focus on “the circumstances surrounding why the passenger may not have been accounted for during boarding.” Queensland Police is also probing the cause of death but a police spokesperson says they believe it was “sudden and nonsuspicious.”
It was reported that the woman’s absence was first noticed when she didn’t show for dinner, with crew initially focusing on a possible overboard incident.
Lizard Island was the first call on the Coral Adventurer’s two-month-long circumnavigation of Australia, which cost around $50,000.
The next scheduled call is Darwin. The Coral Adventurer has a capacity for 120 guests with a crew of 46.
