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, told the BBC it could not comment on the investigation.
The 60-day cruise around Australia, which had cost guests tens of thousands of dollars, was cancelled due to Ms Rees' death as well as mechanical issues. The Coral Adventurer had been expected to dock at Cairns – where its operator Coral Expeditions is based. But a lack of available berths meant it instead dropped anchor a few kilometres north early on Tuesday evening, off the coast of Yorkey's Knob, where it remained on Wednesday morning.
Ship tracking data showed one of the vessel's smaller boats, known as a tender, moving between the ship and the shore on Tuesday night. All passengers 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 for up to 120 guests with 46 crew. It was purpose-built to access remote areas of Australia's coast, having originally left Cairns at around 07:30 local time on 24 October.
Passengers aboard were transported by tenders to the secluded island for a day trip with options for hiking or snorkelling. Ms Rees, a member of a bushwalking group, was left behind while hiking alone, and her family expressed their sorrow over the incident, calling it a failure of care and common sense.
The ship's operator, Coral Expeditions, has expressed its condolences and is cooperating with authorities as the investigation continues.
