It has been revealed that a cruise ship effectively abandoned an elderly guest on a remote island who was later found dead.
An investigation is underway into how the 80-year old woman was left behind during an excursion on Lizard Island, off the Australia coast.
Her whereabouts wasn’t flagged by crew from the Coral Adventurer before it departed the island.
She was only discovered missing several hours later when the ship returned to the island.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is investigating why she ‘may not have been accounted for during boarding.’
Queensland Police is also investigating the cause of death. Police say it was likely ‘sudden and nonsuspicious.’
The woman had been hiking with other guests but broke away from the main group to rest.
“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 Coral Expeditions CEO, Mark Fifield say.
The woman’s body was found the next day.
Remote Lizard Island was the first call on the ship’s 60-day circumnavigation of Australia.
It is due to call at Darwin this weekend when crew will be interviewed by investigators.
