Cruise ship passenger, 80, dies on remote desert island after being left behind
Police launched the probe alongside the coroner after the pensioner died while visiting Lizard Island on the first stop of the Australian cruise.
An investigation has been launched after an 80-year-old cruise ship passenger died on deserted island after being left behind by a cruise ship.
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The death took place after the passenger disembarked the Australian liner on Lizard Island, located 90km northeast of Cooktown, on the first stop of the Coral Expeditions cruise.
However, the pensioner failed to re-embark the NRMA-owned Coral Adventurer ship, which was taking in the Far North Queensland coast before circumnavigating Australia.
A search operation was launched after it was discovered she failed to re-embark the liner by midnight on Saturday.
The woman's disappearance initially led the crew to fear she had fallen overboard.
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The retiree was reported missing, with a search operation involving land, air and sea vessels locating and recovering her body from the island's highest peak, Cook's Look, the following day.
Ship location app Vessel Finder showed the Coral Adventurer sailed back towards Lizard Island at around 9pm on Saturday, reaching the location at around 2am on Sunday.
It was later found that the woman was part of a group walking to the summit of Cook's Look.
It's thought the woman become lost on her way back to the ship, after becoming separated from the group.
“The group continued on and boarded the vessel before realising she was not there”, a source told The Australian.
According to yachtie Traci Ayrisone, who was listening to the emergency radio as events unfolded: "They did headcounts for snorkellers (which we heard) but not for other guests on the island it would seem.
"The last people came down from the track and got into tender then the (ship) left very soon after that," Ms Ayris told the Cairns Post.
She went on to note that it raised "questions about safety protocols and a delayed start to the search due to it not being known that the woman was missing".
The death came just a day after the Coral Adventurer began the cruise, which set off from the Australian city of Cairns on Friday afternoon.
According to the itinerary, the ship, which was anchored off Lizard Island, offered passengers the option of taking a smaller boat to hike and snorkel on the island.
Authorities say the death is not being treated as suspicious.
In a statement, Coral Expeditions head Mark Fifield confirmed the passenger's “tragic death”.
He explained the company is working alongside authorities - including police and the coroner - to help with the “continuing” investigations.