The Coral Adventurer was on a sixty-day cruise along the Australian coast. Last Saturday, the ship docked at Lizard Island in the Great Barrier Reef for a group walk. An eighty-year-old woman returned to the ship earlier but never arrived.
Her absence was noticed only after the ship had been underway for several hours. The crew notified emergency services, who found her body a day later on the island. Police have described her death as “sudden and unexplained,” but have not released further details regarding the cause of death. According to sources cited by The Australian, the woman fell from a cliff.
The Australian Coast Guard has instructed the Coral Adventurer to refrain from picking up new passengers and to head directly to Cairns. An investigation is underway to determine how the woman was left behind. Staff and passengers were informed on Wednesday that the remainder of the trip had been canceled due to “the tragic incident.”
The CEO of Coral Expeditions, the company operating the cruises, stated that customers are typically provided with the best experiences. “It has become increasingly clear that we were unable to fulfill that promise this week.” The company has extended its apologies and condolences to the woman’s family.
