The body of an 80-year-old Australian woman was found on Lizard Island, off the coast of Cooktown, 320 kilometres north of Cairns, on Sunday. The woman had been visiting the island in the Great Barrier Reef as part of a tour group attached to the Coral Adventurer cruise ship.
Authorities are investigating how the cruise ship allegedly left behind the woman, who was later found dead. A widescale search was launched on Saturday night after the woman was reported missing hours after the Coral Adventurer visited Lizard Island. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) confirmed it was investigating the incident and intended to speak with the crew when the cruise ship arrived in Darwin in the coming days.
The woman had been on a group hiking tour of Lizard Island but did not return to the ship, which was seen departing the surrounding waters around sunset between 6pm and 7pm. Emergency services, with the assistance of Nautilus Aviation helicopters, were called just before midnight when the crew became aware the woman was not on board.
Rob Siganto, who owns the South Pacific II fishing and charter boat, was moored near Lizard Island at the weekend and said he saw the Coral Adventurer depart. He told the ABC that about 11:30pm or midnight, a helicopter arrived at the island and was searching. He said the helicopter radioed that the crew had not found anything, was out of fuel and needed to return to Cairns. At first light the next morning, when Mr Siganto awoke, he said the Coral Adventurer was back at Lizard Island.
Traci Ayris, who is currently sailing in the area, was also woken around midnight on Saturday to the sound of a helicopter using its spotlight to scan the trail to Telstra Rock on Cook's Look walk. She said the helicopter returned about 9:30am and found the woman's body 'right away', but she was not recovered until later that day. 'We knew she was dead because they called everyone back from the search immediately,' Ms Ayris said.
In a statement, Coral Expeditions CEO Mark Fifield expressed condolences for 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,' he said. An AMSA spokesperson said it would 'attend the vessel upon arrival in Darwin' as part of its ongoing investigation into the incident. Police are also assisting with the investigation but said the death was being treated as 'sudden and non-suspicious'.
