An 80-year-old woman has been found dead on a remote island after she failed to board a her cruise ship in Australia.
The pensioner was understood to be trekking near the Great Barrier Reef off the Queensland coast, on an excursion when she went missing. Her body was recovered from the mountain a day after staff on the vessel raised the alarm. Police say they are not treating the as yet unnamed woman’s death as suspicious.
A widespread sea and land hunt was launched before her body was found. She was enjoying a luxury trip on board the Coral Adventurer cruise ship and vanished as she went exploring the a group. The woman was on a 60-day circumnavigation of Australia, where the price of the incredible trips cost around $80,000 (£39,000).
Coral Expeditions head Mark Fifield confirmed the “tragic death” of the passenger on Lizard Island in a statement. The company is working closely with authorities to help with the “continuing” investigation, he said.
He said: “The crew notified authorities that a woman was missing, and a search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea. Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland Police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island.
"While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family. The Coral team has been in contact with the woman’s family, and we will continue to offer support to them through this difficult process.
"We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation. We are unable to comment further while this process is underway.” Police also confirmed they are preparing a report for the coroner.
A source told The Australian that the woman was hiking the steep Cook’s Look walk on the island with a group on Saturday afternoon, when she needed to stop. They claim the group continued without her.
Robyn Holmes, the Cook Shire Mayor, told ABC News: “We extend our sincerest condolences to the woman’s family, friends and all those affected by this tragedy. We acknowledge that this is a very distressing time and extend our appreciation to all emergency service personnel and agencies involved.”