Story just updated on the Australian :
A luxury cruise ship did not notice an elderly woman had disappeared until she didn’t appear for dinner on-board, and only reported her missing five hours after the vessel allegedly left her behind on the Great Barrier Reef’s remote Lizard Island.
The NSW woman was found dead on the far north Queensland island the next day, about 50 metres off the hiking trail that leads to the island’s highest point, Cook’s Look.
Queensland Police, the state coroner, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority are all investigating the death of the woman, in her 80s, after she was allegedly abandoned on the island on Saturday afternoon.
The Australian understands the NRMA-owned Coral Expeditions cruise ship, the Coral Adventurer, left Lizard Island at sunset, and the elderly passenger’s absence was not noticed until she did not turn up for dinner about 6pm.
Crew members conducted several sweeps of the boat, and then it was realised she was not on board.
Police believe she was not reported missing until about five hours after the boat left the island.
A Queensland Police spokeswoman told The Australian the ship first raised the alarm at 10pm Queensland-time, when the Coral Adventurer alerted AMSA’s Canberra-based 24/7 emergency hotline, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.
The JRCC responds to aviation and maritime search and rescue incidents, and it is understood the ship’s crew initially believed the woman may have fallen overboard.
Coral Expeditions declined to comment on Wednesday.
Queensland Police were alerted at 11.45pm on Saturday, and a rescue helicopter was launched at 12.45am on Sunday.
The ship – which only began its 60-day circumnavigation of Australia in Cairns on Friday – got back to the island after midnight.
A Nautilus Aviation helicopter is believed to have located the woman’s body on Sunday on the island, about 50 metres off the Cook’s Look hiking path to Lizard Island’s highest point.
Earlier on Saturday, the Coral Adventurer had dropped its anchor off Lizard Island – 90km northeast of Cooktown – and passengers were offered the chance to take a smaller boat to the island to hike and snorkel.
It is understood the ship follows standard Australia-wide protocols requiring snorkellers to sign forms when they get out of the water, and take a headcount of other passengers who disembark for land excursions.
It’s not clear whether the headcount procedure was followed for the hikers on Saturday. Eyewitnesses only report having heard the snorkellers’ headcount over the radio.
A source said the elderly woman was “struggling” on the “challenging” 4km walk to Cook’s Look because it was very hot. At Cooktown on Saturday at 3pm it was 30C and 63 per cent humidity.
“She said she couldn’t go on, and that she was going to go back down to the boat,” the source said.
Other sources said the rest of the woman’s group continued on.
For solo travellers, staterooms on the Coral Adventurer cost between $81,000 and $97,200 for the 60-day voyage, which is staffed by a 46-member “all Australian crew” and “special guest experts”.
Another source said the woman appeared to have fallen down a cliff or slope off the Cook’s Look track, so named because James Cook climbed there to navigate his way out of the reef.
Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators chief executive officer Gareth Phillips said all operators were legally required to have strict passenger verification procedures for “both in-water and on-land activities”.
“First and foremost, our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to the family and everyone affected,” he said.
“Safety has always been, and will remain, our number one priority.
“All marine operators are not only committed but also legally required to have strict passenger verification procedures in place for both in-water and on-land activities, as part of their Workplace Health and Safety protocols and Maritime Safety Management Systems.
“The operator involved in this tragedy is a longstanding and highly respected business within our industry, known for maintaining exceptional safety standards and a strong safety record.
“The company is co-operating fully with authorities during the ongoing investigation.
“As an industry, we remain committed to working closely with all relevant authorities to ensure the highest possible safety standards are upheld.”
On Tuesday, Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield confirmed the “tragic death of a passenger on the Coral Adventurer during an excursion to Lizard Island”.
“On Saturday, 25 October, the crew notified authorities that a woman was missing, and a search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea,” he said.
“Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island.
A helicopter searches for the body of the missing Coral Adventurer passenger on Lizard Island, off Cooktown, on Sunday. Picture: Traci Ayris
“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 have 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 under way.”
AMSA officials are expected to meet the Coral Adventurer when it docks in Darwin on Sunday.
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