An elderly woman’s tragic death on a remote island after missing a cruise ship has sparked an investigation by authorities and a coroner. The 80-year-old solo traveler passed away during the first stop of a 60-day voyage around Australia. Authorities are looking into the circumstances that led to the woman being stranded on the isolated island in Far North Queensland.
Questions are being raised about the possibility of rescuing the woman from the island where she was left behind. It was not until Saturday, well after she was supposed to re-board the ship, that the woman, who held an approximately £40,000 ticket for the cruise, was reported missing. The cruise ship had departed from Cairns, Queensland, and had stopped at Lizard Island, where the woman was believed to have been hiking up the island’s summit.
Reports indicate that the woman was part of a group that ascended Cook’s Look summit, but she got lost on her way back to the ship. The group inadvertently left without her, and she was only reported missing later that evening when she did not return. There are claims that she may have fallen off a cliff on the island.
Concerns about safety protocols have been raised by witnesses, such as Traci Ayris, who were on a nearby yacht. According to Ayris, there were shortcomings in conducting headcounts of passengers on the island before the ship departed. Despite emergency radio transmissions, the ship reportedly left shortly after the last passengers returned from the island.
A search and rescue operation was initiated after the woman was reported missing, and her remains were eventually found and airlifted from Lizard Island. Coral Expeditions, the operator of the cruise ship, confirmed the woman’s death and stated that they had cooperated with the authorities and the woman’s family throughout the ordeal.
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