An 80-year-old Australian woman has been found dead on a Great Barrier Reef island after being abandoned by the cruise ship she was travelling on.
The woman had travelled with other passengers on the Coral Adventurer cruise ship to Lizard Island, 250km north of Cairns, on Saturday. She is believed to have left the group for a holiday.
The ship left the island around sunset but returned hours later when the crew realised the woman had disappeared. An extensive search operation resulted in her body being found on Sunday morning. No further details have been released.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it is investigating and will meet with the ship’s crew later this week.
An unnamed woman joined the group trip on, Getty Images
An Amsa spokesman said the ship’s captain was the first to alert authorities to the woman’s disappearance around 9pm on Saturday. The agency said it would work with other relevant agencies to investigate the case and take the safety of passengers and crew on commercial vessels seriously.
Ms Airis also said the incident was clearly upsetting for both crew and passengers.
“It was very sad that this tragedy happened in such a paradise. It should have been a happy time for this lovely lady.”
Queensland Police said a report would be prepared for the coroner into the “sudden death of an unsuspecting woman”.
Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield said staff had contacted the woman’s family and offered support for the “tragic death”.