Investigators have boarded an Australian cruise ship more than 10 days after the death of an elderly female passenger who was left behind on a remote island.
Suzanne Rees, 80, had been hiking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers from the Coral Adventurer, but broke off from the group for a rest. The ship left without her, only returning several hours later when the crew realised Ms. Rees was missing.
Officials from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) boarded the vessel on Wednesday morning local time.
Amsa, which is probing the incident alongside Queensland Police and the state coroner, has stated it cannot comment on the ongoing investigation.
The 60-day cruise around Australia, which had cost guests tens of thousands of dollars, was canceled due to Ms. Rees' death as well as mechanical issues. The vessel had been anticipated to dock at Cairns, where its operator Coral Expeditions is located, but it dropped anchor a few kilometres north early on Tuesday evening, off the coast of Yorkey's Knob.
The BBC understands only a skeleton crew was on board. Ship tracking data indicated that a smaller boat was seen moving between the ship and the shore on Tuesday night.
All passengers were disembarked at Horn Island in the far north of Queensland over the weekend and were transferred to the mainland on a charter plane.
The Coral Adventurer caters to up to 120 guests with 46 crew members. Purpose-built to access remote areas of Australia's coast, it left Cairns on October 24 after a week's delay due to mechanical problems.
On the following day, the vessel reached Lizard Island where passengers were offered hiking or snorkeling.
Suzanne Rees' daughter, Katherine, expressed her family's shock, asserting that there was a failure of care and common sense. She is hopeful that the coroner's inquiry will unveil necessary steps the cruise company should have taken to ensure her mother's safety.
Ms. Rees highlighted that her mother, a member of a bushwalking group, fell ill during the hike and was instructed to return unescorted. The ship left without a passenger count, resulting in the unfortunate incident where Ms. Rees was found to have passed away alone after an extensive search failed to uncover her on the day she went missing. Coral Expeditions has confirmed ongoing cooperation with the relevant authorities handling the investigation.
